tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368138892176447601Tue, 31 Mar 2015 14:51:01 +0000Australian comicsNew Zealand Comicsnew zealand cartoonistAustralian cartoonist2012 in reviewenglish comics diversionamalgamated pressEnglish comicsSimon Hanselmann2013 in reviewdylan horrocksBIRTHDAYnew zealand cartoonistsRoger Langridgemelbourne cartoonistsarah laingtim molloyBen Hutchingsenglish cartoonistaustralian cartoonistsmilk shadow booksbruce mutardcolin wilsonPeter FosterToby Morrisnoel cookTim Dankojason frankskarl willsInterviewJames AndreMichael HawkinsNew Zealand Illustratordavid c mahlerfrank candilororichard fairgray19491951chick's ownmarc pearsonsam wallmanJames DavidsonKatie ParrishPhil BelbinScarlette BacciniSilent Armybernard caleocaravan of comicsplaybox19461952Mandy OrdPat GrantThe Phantomaustralia cartoonistaustralian womans weeklywellingtonBetty RolandRebecca ClementsRussell Clarkanthony woodwardben stenbeckbobby nbrendan halydayjason chatfieldpaul masonpopeyeAnt Sangandrew fultonaustralian illustratordavid blumensteindavid lowjohn dixonnew zealandtip topMaurice bramleyMelbourneMelbourne cartoonistsSteve ditkoTim Bollingerbrent willischromaconflash gordonfleetway magazinesk g murraymat taitpaper trailFP comicsJason PaulosM P FikarisMoabarry lintonbubblesdean rankinedie popularfec comicsfil barlowfred frederickshulton pressive sorocukking featuremandrake the magicianmatt emerymirranda burtonnat karmichaelparade magazinepetonesquishface studiosthe katzenjammer kidstiny totsH B K hislopMatt KymePaul bedfordSimon Hanselmana y seddonair hawkbrodie mackcaitlin majorchris slanedaniel bestdillon naylorfaction comicsgary chalonergregory mackayjinglesjoshua santospiritokevin patrickkickstarterlaughs magazinemarijka goodingmen onlysam orchardte rau presstim gibsontom scotttom taylorzen pencilsAntoinette RydyrLeigh RigozziLeonard Cornwall MitchellNew Zealand comicSteve CarterSteve SparkeSydney Ockendenalisha jadealmalgamated pressandy conlanaustralian comicaustralian magazineaustralian writerben michael byrnebob mcmahoncavalcadechristopher downesconrad freiboedamon keenfantagraphicsfor the term of his natural lifegreg broadmoreheiress to tangurauhtml flowersian dicksonjase harperjesca marisajohn santrylee falkleslie otwaylet me be frankmatt huynhmichael fikarispatrick alexanderphilip bentleypolitical cartoonistprincess comicstan pittsticky institutete ariki maruthe conwaysvirgil reilly1950s comicsDailiesDavid MahlerGeoff HarrisonHamiltonJoe WylieLi chenNeale BlandenPikitia PressSarah HowellTristan Jonesa h aw reedadrian kinnairdaustralian artistaustralian comics publisheraustralian comics writeraustralian illustratorsaustralian woman's weeklybig arse 3blastosauruscakeburgercavalcade magazinecory mathisdeep parkflash cainfrank stackpoolginger meggsgraphic novels melbournehenry popjames h kemsleyjen breachjerome bihanjustin randallkath kingkg murraykinokofry.comkorero bulletinkranburnmaori cartoonistmatthew hoddymelbourne comicsmilk shadow booksmoa Comicsmoonbeardnevile Lodgeneville Colvinnew zealand cartoonsnew zealand humour magazinenew zealand wartime magazinenewspaper cartoonistpublishingross gores lyesacha bryningsorab del riospace pyratesstanley pittsunday gemte rauparahathe sunbeamtheo macdonaldtimothy kiddtiny kitten teethtumblrvictoria drug scenewalking to japanwartime publications194519501970Becky DreistadtBig Arse 2Clint cureDC ThomsonDarren schroederFuntime comicsGavin Aung ThanInherent ViceKatie Houghton-wardKeith WaiteMatt NichollsMatt ScheurichMauiMonty WeddOгонёкSPXSquishface studioThe BulletinTim McEwenadrift in spaceair hawk and the flying doctoraustralia cartoonistsaustralian advertisingaustralian cartoonists associationaustralian newspaper stripaw reedblood and thunderboris karloffbrisbane cartoonistbritish cartoonists clubcapping magazinesceylon cartoonistcharles mckenzieclaire melodycomic launchcomicozdaniel reeddarian zamdarien zamdarren closedarren kozioldarren sheehandharma punksdoug holgatedunedineric resetarfrew comicsgeorge f h taylorgestalt comicsgisbornegold key comicshayden fryerjackie ryanjames jamesjoel spencerjohn stewartjosh santospiritojudge dreddkelly sheehanken alexanderkommersantkupel c mitchelllaughsles tannerluke pickettmarcus clarkemcblackmelbourne artistmelbourne writermichael deforgemichael sandersmichel mulipolaminicomics of the monthmoth citymr unpronounceablemyles loughrannew zealand coinsnew zealand commercial artistnew zealand painternew zealand stampspage publicationspatsy kanepaul abstruseprincess seppukuralphiray heathrazzlerobin snyderrussian artrussian cartoonistsrussian illustratorsrussian magazinesam zabel and the magic pensecond shoresparkstan crossstuart mcmillensupanovatasmanian cartoonistthe australian womans weeklythe lifted browthe wonder comictim valourtom bishopwebcomicwonder comicswonder the comic filled with laughterzombolettezora patrickAdam RoseAnzacsArthur StricklandAustralian comic writerBMBBlackhouse ComicsBruce Mutard.Ceili BraidwoodCharles PaineChristopher SequeiraDash ShawDavid C. MahlerElliot LambEmmett O'CuanaFECFrank GibsonFred NegroGerald CarrGirlGlenn SmithGreg HolfieldHarry DanseyHaythorne-Thwaite advertising ltdHaythorne-Thwaite studiosIPCJ F ArchibaldJan ScherpenhuizenJaygee ProductionsJohn L. CurtisJohn PorcellinoKramers ErgotLauren HillsLee LaiLily Mae MartinMerton LaceyNGVNew Zealand ListenerNga PakiwaituhiPeter ChapmanRKO picturesSean T CollinsShaun TanSteve BoydStop PressT-Rex JonesTe Ao houTerry CurrieThe Daily MirrorThe Daily SketchThe ListenerThe long weekend in alice springsTom BoninTom GloverVane LindesayVictor Leonard William MitchellW H TraillWarkWilliam Blomfielda w reedadelaide comicsal nisbetalan stuart patersonalex e clarkalex gurneyalex hallattalex kingall star comicsallan xiaamandus julius fischeramerican captainamie maxwellangela air hostessarmageddonarthur sharland boothroydaucklandauckland cartoonistaustralian artistsaustralian paintersaustralian sunday timesbaby face artistback of beyondbadaudeballantynebigglesblender studiosbob brockiebrandon grahambruce pettycaitlin peskycamp chugnutcecil unk whitecharles burnschicks ownchris downeschristchurchchristian readclaire harriscomics faceconnie radarconquestconquest magazinecrimson cometdan bestdan daredan drobikdark horsedave dyedavid tullochdead xerox pressdudley pouteditorial cartoonsedward sylvester hynesele jenkinselliot francis stewartenglish cartoonistseric heathernest heber Thompsonesther gallowayevening postfikarisfootrot flatsfrancis the bearfred the clowngag cartoonsgallery 696garrick tremaingee halegeorge fineygirl annualgirl comicgirl mountaingrant buisthelen maierhicksvilleisaac freemanit happened in New zealandjames harrenjames squiresjaycol comicsjem yoshiokajim russelljim shepherdjohn kentjohn l curtisjohn mcnamarajohn weeksjonah hexjune mendozajuvenile comicskath king of kismet covekazandakeith chattokeith mcdougallkernow craigkillerookokey koalakolynoskolynos toothpaste advertisingkus!larry boxshalllashna tuschewskilesley vamoslewis carrollisbeth russelllivingston hopkinsmaorimaralingamark one comicsmary tamblynmatt hoddymatt taylormaude farrugiamegahexmegan nairnmegg and moggmelbourne comics publishermeredith van halenmerv heersmurray ballnatalia zajazned kellynew plymouthnew zealand artistnew zealand comcisnew zealand illustratorsnewton comicsnexus magazinenikki greenbergnorman lindsayonce were warriorsoslo davisozcomicspat oliphantpaul templepen erases paperpeter bromheadphil maypolitical cartoonspozibleprivate eyeproductivity and motivationradio as paperrebecca hayesreginald pittretrospacerod emmersonron tandbergsadie gallowayscience fiction comicsserena geddessheehan brotherssimpsons comicssmaller comicssnarkedst owl's baysteve savillestreet angelsyd millertane williamstearoom of despairthe anzac legendthe comic full of laughterthe diggablesthe dominionthe inhabitantsthe lost city and the adventures of russ denverthe new zealand heraldthe phantom commandothe pottsthe sketcherthe soldier legacytheocracytintintiny tots and the sunbeamvelocityvickyvictory comicswellington cartoonistwepwharkwhat things dowilliam Macleodwinter citywolfgang bylsmawonderword balloonsworld patrolworld war two humourwynn w daviesyou stink and I don't. moa comic1911 comic19301930s19401940s194119441947 new zealand comics1950s1951 comic1955 new zealand comic19591960 rome olympics1967198420122012 in review index2012 year in review201320134 in review24 hour comic30 years of new zealand comicsA.H. and A. W. ReedANDREW CONNORAaron O'donnelAction ComicsAdi FirthAdventures in SpaceAgnes GarbowskaAlex garlandAlexander TurnbullAlexander Wyclif ReedAly FayeAmazing Adult Fantasy #15Amber CarvanAmy RacecarAndrew BurdanAnke FeuchtenbergerAnna HailfischArchibald Stuart petersonAri FreemanArne BellstorfArrow BoyArt SpiegelmanArthur HudsonAthonkAustralian Army Education ServiceBD Zine. Bande DessineeBECBallantyne where hidden rivers flowBastien VivesBill Messner-LoebsBorn to flyBrendan McCarthyCFCalvalcadeCaptain SunshineCarl LyonCartographerCeres organic farmCharles BukowskiCharlie AdlardChris GoszClassic Australian Comics 1855 - 2000Clem Hetherington and the Ironwood RaceColleen DoranComics generationConfessions Of A Rookie Film MakerCorey the dweller in the hollowCorrado MastantuonoCraig Potton PublishingDUD ComicsDan HaywardDaniel BraderDark Detective: Sherlock HolmesDavid BarkerDavid PiperDebra BoyeskDenis GraftonDick Astro of Space PatrolDillon Naylor.Disney AnimationDistrict 9Drew CloseDu Plomb Dans La TeteDustin HarbinE R leemingsEEEKEdward Fisher: DuckEko NugrohoEsther and Sadie GallowayEvie CahirFantastic FourFleshtonezFlixForbrydelsenFrank Gibson.Franz KantorFrançoise MoulyFred AtkinsFred DuvalFred R. AlexanderGallipoliGary LauGary StewartGeneral BraddockGoethe -InstituteGoethe InstitutGordon MinhinnickGrant GronewaldGreg GatesGregory MacKayeGriffin'sGuido BaracchiGuiseppe CamuncoliGwendoline Barr-RiceH D B DanseyHTMLflowersHannah NolanHautipua RererangiHawkes bayHazingHergéHigh Seas AdventureHorwitz Publishing HouseHugh McCraeIsabel KreitzIt Happened in new Zealand.Itty Bitty BunniesJ. Marc SchmidtJames DunlevieJason Franks Mike AtheyJason GoungerJaves davidsonJean-Pierre PécauJem Yoshioka’Jens HarderJessica McleodJessica “Phlegmbot” DewsJim SterankoJim and JoyJoe ColquhounJohn BatesJohn poheJon KlassenJonathan LarabieJour JJubilee PublicationsJulia GfüroerJulian ArahangaJuliet peterJunior DigestK W CountryKam TavernerKate MoonKatzenjammer kidsKid Colt OutlawKid KiwiKieran ManganKimble bent: MalcontentKumar SivasubramanianKurt LewisKuš!Lawrence of ArabiaLeith MccunnLeonie V. BrialeyLife Is LiveLindsay C. Walker.Little HongiLongacreLoose CrayonsLouie JoyceLouisa GinivanLove PatrolLower HuttLudmilla BartschtMAD Parody ClubMacquarie UniversityMarc BarnesMarcos Mateu-MestreMark LauthierMark PaulMark TapsellMark oneMartin Tom DieckMasao AdachiMat HunkinMattt KontureMax de RadiquesMeggMel StringerMichael P. FikarisMichal DutkiwiczMick McmahonMilk Shadown BooksMilos weekMogg & OwlMolokaMontague WeddMr. Gloomingdale's DownpourMr. SmilesNZ newspapers LtdNZCCNed WenlockNeil SandersNew Zealand Cartoonists AssociationNew Zealand FreelanceNew Zealand school journalNew Zealanders as we see emNewspaper clubNicholas GarlandOtto SchmidtPanel By PanelPaul and PamPeter AlsopPikePromoting Prosperity - The Art of Early New Zealand AdvertisingRKORKO MoviesRMITRadio picturesRawhide KidRay WenbanReinhard KleistRob O'ConnorRon TurnerRoy EvansRyoichi IkegamiSarah Catherine FirthSascha HommerSatanScarScott StuartSean PhillipsSergey KolesovSho FumimuraSir Edmund HillarySir Gordon Edward George MinhinnickSoft ScienceSquishface's ExhibitchinStewart Cole. Everyday Life Can Be Pretty Interesting StuffStitt AutobiographicsStop press pocket magazineStrange TalesStuart ImmonenStuart petersonSundau sunSunday Star TimesSupreme feature comicSwiftSydney Painter-Etchers SocietySydney SunTEDTRex JonesTakashi MiikeTatang SuhenraTessa McLaughlinThe Anzac BookThe Australian Children's Pictorial Social StudiesThe Dark Detective Sherlock HolmesThe Donation ProjectThe Kia Ora Coo-eeThe New Zealand Historic Places TrustThe New Zealand wildlife serviceThe Night EagleThe Unauthorized VersionThe comics journalTiger DarrellToff in TownTreviso Comic book festival 2012Trevor LliodTui AnnualTurangaarereUSA Library of CongressUlf K.Ung Bun HeangVictor E fraklW. Chew ChanWEGWade Von GrawbadgerWaikato UniversityWan Smolbag GroupWellington Media CollectiveWendy McleanWill EisnerWilliam Ellis greenWilliam GillWilliam Sykes BaverstockWouter TulpYoshiharu TsugeYou FloggerYves ChalandZICSa guard's talea gun for all seasonsa low huma s patersona touch of silka.w. reedabner deanadam magazineadolf hitleradventures of mark steel and dawn randaladvertisingadviceadvice comicsah and aw reedah aw reedal hartleyal williamsonalan haroldalan marshallalan moiralan moorealan stranksalberto Corradialex king australian artistalex mccronealex parsonsalex stittalexander stittalexander turnbull libraryalexis sugdenalfredo alcalaalice brownalison bechdelalison fyfeall blacksall devon comic strip libraryall you bastards can go jump off a bridgeallan viaallen and unwinallied pressamalgamatedamazon ukambrose dysonamericanamerican cartoonistandrew constantandrew langridgeandrew liandrew netteandrew schickandrew weldonandrez bergenangela keoghanangoulemeanimatoranimeannie koyamaanthologyanthony behrensanti maori propagandaanton emdinarchie e martinarchie goodwinarkham city comicsarmageddon conarran mckennaartic circleartie the autograph hunteraru singhattitude problemauckland art galleryauckland universityauckland writerauckland zinefestausreprintsausreprints.comaustralia asylum seekersaustralia in palestineaustralian cartoon advertisementsaustralian cartoonist associationaustralian cartoonist. australian animatoraustralian cartoopnistaustralian cartoponissaustralian comcisaustralian commercial artaustralian commerical artistaustralian film postersaustralian historyaustralian military forcesaustralian navyaustralian newspaper cartoonsaustralian newspaper comicsaustralian newspaper stripsaustralian novelistaustralian publisheraustralian reprintsaustralian science fictionaustralian sex newspaperaustralian sports writeraustralian syndicated newspaper cartoonaustralian war cartoonistaustralian war memorialaustralian wartime cartoonaustralian wartime comicsaustralian womens weeklyautobio comicsawakenings 01azza mckazzababarbaltimore comicsbandy bandicootbanned comics in australiabarbara standishbarry humphriesbathwater booksbattle comicbattle holiday specialbear alleybeardbeardy and the geekbeaver and stevebecky cloonanbeginnings anthologybehind the crooked crossbelle of the balletben bowyangben constantineben juersben smithbenjamin constantinebernie roundhillbevyn bakerbig arse comics launchbig ben boltbig cartelbiggles comicsbill sienkiewiczbill wattersonbingo comicsblack and white artblack and white artistblack holeblack magicblack river chronicleblack river digital mailing listblood and thunder 2blueblueberrybluey and curleyboatbuilderbob kerrbongo comicsbonny rossbook 4booksboom comicsboyfriendbrainybrenda starrbrendan boughenbrendan boydbrent andersonbret braddockbrian bysouthbrian marucabright threadzbrisbanebristle annualbrithdaybritish cartoonistbritish comicsbrotownbrown and bigelowbruce mutardm phil bentleybryan haroldbryce gallowaybuild my gallowsburger forceburleskbuying comicscameron r d lairdcampbell whytecannibuscappicadecaptain congocaptain james cookcaptain justicecaptain steven kingcarl barkscarlos ezquerracarol daycartoon correspondence schoolcartoonist interviewcary grantcerebuschad taylorchanging wayscharles nuttalcharlton comicscharnel housechatham island black robincherie rosvallchicks' ownchok chokchopper chick comicschris beachchris garveychris goochchris groszchris knoxchris landerchris mautnerchris sequeirachris wahlchrissie dugganchristchurch spectator.christmas annualchronicles of NZEFchuck forsmanchucklers weeklychugnut campchugnut comicscinema sewercity talesclare dolanclear lineclementine hetheringtonclementine hetherington and the ironwood raceclint hammillcolgate-palmolivecolin espinercolonial editioncomic banning in australiacomic book factorycomic book viruscomic censorship in australiacomic in advertisingcomic lifecomic supplementcomicscomics anthologycomics bulletincomics compulsioncomics down undercomics generation exhibitioncomics in advertisingcomics in australian advertisementscomics methodcomics previewcomics processcomics working methodscomicsdownundercomixologycommercial artistcommercial illustrationcommerical illustrationcontemporary indonesian artcopiccopicscorn stonecraig bruyncraig san roquecreative new zealandd h souterdaffydailies. tim dankodame susan devoydan braderdane martindane richterdaniel kitsondanny stanleydarcy quinndark matter fanzinedarkest nightdarkiesdarrel Merrittdarren yeowdashiell hammettdave c mahlerdave hodsondave simdavid eggletondavid follettdavid langedavid mckiedavid nivendavid roachdavid wrightdavid yardindaybillsdc thompsondebra boyaskdebra jane boyaskdecaydeep aprkdeerstalkerdenis harolddes condondesire and reason with absolutely no harmonydespair partydespicable mandevil doonedevonportdick frizzelldick hudson's adventurediego patinodigesteddisney voice actorsditkoditko 17doctor comicsdon christensendon nathandon winslow of the navydont puke on your daddouble finedoughnutdown the tubesdrawdrawn from lifedreamboatdukedunedin comicse noho ra 2013eagle comicearly british comicsearly pioneers of new zealandeddie and tueddie campbelledgar p jakobseditoredward brodie mackedward brodie-mackegg storyeleri mai harrisemergency wardemergency ward 10emily hasselhoofemily smithemmet o'curuanenglish comcisenid blytonenormisenrique badia romeroephemeraephemera diversionerle stantley gardnereroseros comicsevan jenkinsexocomics.comfaber castellfaction comics anthologyfamous fivefane flawsfantastiquefatty finnfebruary 25th 1950federation square book fairfestival of the photocopier 2014fillinifilm comic adaptionfilm funfilm illustrationfilm on paperfilthfilth comicfinlay lloydflaw in the jewelfloating world comicsflying doctorflying saucer reviewfoodstuffsfour square manfour square storefrancis durbridgefrank bellamyfrank jayfrank packerfrank prebblefrankie santorofraser of africafred 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larsonhorror comicshorwitz comicshorwitz publicationshow the Maoris camehow the white men came to new zealandhoward chaykinhoward crusehoward fromanhtml flowers epichugo pratthukuwaihumphhypnotic midday mondayian f grantian f. granticonixillustrationillustration diversionimage comicsincomplete worksindian born cartoonistindonesian comicsindonesian zinesinhabitatiron manisobelle carmodyissuuj heaton barkerj marc schmidtjabberwockyjames bond comic stripjames h. kemsleyjames henderson and sonsjames kemsleyjames stewartjames turnerjane chapmanjane greerjane wymanjason bricejayar studiosjayar studios and sungravurejc menujeff hawkejeff hookjeff wilkinsonjeffrey chamba cruzjenny gibbsjeremy tinderjessica of the schoolyardjim davisjim dexterjim hannanjim ruggjim woodringjimmy banksjin chan yum waijnr bluejo waitejoe hilljoe kubertjoe morrisjohn brentjohn brodiejohn cooperjohn elliotjohn guthriejohn helleurjohn higginsjohn keyjohn l curtissjohn lambertjohn macnamarajohn mysteryjohn retalickjohn segoviajohn thomas hannanjohn wagnerjohnny fraser allenjohnny hazardjohnny redjonathan kingjonny negronjosh bayerjoshua leigh headjosie mairead king edwardsjoyce farmerjudith shepherdjules faberjulia wertzjulie ditrichjuliet jonesjust uskagemonokaren beilharzkarl-heinz schradtkarori schoolkate parrishkatee moonkatherine mansfieldkeith haringkerry drakekidzonekieth chattokimble bentking catking cometkinokofrykiwiman comicskloakakolynos dental productskorero magazinekubertkuretakekuskuš anthologyla bimbaladyfestlake monger dayslangridgelars crawleylars crawlylaunch partylaura renfrewlauren marriottlawford jim richardsonledger awardslee taylorlee-yan marquezleigh riggozilemuel lyesles suchlesson masterlet me be frank comicsleuniglevins company ltdlew stringerliam lucasliberal partyliedekijnligne clairelinda footeline hovenlines on paperlion summer spectacular epic speciallittle eyeliving in a maori villagelong white kidloretta younglouisa walllove storieslucas testrolucky akilucky aki in the new stone agelucky aki in the stone ageluke milton edward grug IIIlyndsay distributorsm robertsm youngerm.emerymafaldamagic townman juniormandu ordmangamarijka hardingmark hobbymark one comics and gamesmarketing servicesmarlborough expressmassey universitymassimo carnivalemasskeradematt elliotmatt kellymatt lawreymatthew kellymatthew nichollsmawilmax foleymaxwell newtonmaziemcblack twoshotmeet the chactadeemei hikarimelanie matthewsmelbourne comic meet upmelbourne comic shopmelbourne comics launchmelbourne comics meet upmelbourne comics scenemelbourne exhibtionmelbourne fring festivalmelbourne illustratormelbourne newspapermelbourne writers festivalmelissia mendesmenno huibersmens adventure magazinemetaphormeteor comicsmicahel fikarismicahel king writers centremichael baulderstonemichael hawksworthmichael mcnaymichael p Fikarismichael wisemicheal hillmickey's moamike brownmilhouse comicsmilk shadow publishingmini comicsminotaur comicsmiss peachmoa comicmoma fomamonthly comicsmopymoth city comicmotor racingmovie postersmr amr unpronouncablemumbliermurray webbmy little ponymy personal wagnermy sister's voicenance dobsonnancy dobsonnano secondnapierneil lonsdalenew Zealand Biscuitsnew and zenanew zealand at the frontnew zealand cartooningnew zealand cartoonists.new zealand cartroonistsnew zealand comic anthologynew zealand comic shopnew zealand comic writernew zealand comics editornew zealand comics shops master listnew zealand comics writernew zealand ephemeranew zealand golden age of comicsnew zealand illustrationnew zealand newspapernew zealand newspaper cartoonistnew zealand newspaper cartoonsnew zealand pictorialnew zealand politiciannew zealand postersnew zealand publishernew zealand sci finew zealand webcomicsnew zealand womens weeklynew zealand writernew zealand young cartoonist awardnewsnewspaper cartoonsnewspaper comicnexusnez and zenanice day for a watnicola scottnig-gernigel campbellnigel greennobrow booksnon canonicalnorman mainbridgenorman rockwellnorthcotenothing fitsnurse suglyobe cartoonistohopeoily comicsoliver passinghamolympicsompet Kuswidanantooperaopera comics adaptionopotiki authororiginal art workossieotago timesout of the pastowen heitmannoz comic conoz comic con melbourneoz conpainted advertisementspainted advertisingpanicpaper city 2013paradepat alexanderpat ausiliopat grant gregory mackaypat sullivanpatsy walkerpaul briskepaul gravettpaul hoppepaul powerpaul rigbypaul spencerpc 49peader thomaspelorus jackpenny huestonpepi ronaldspeppermint magazinepeter broelmanpeter cookpeter lolepeter petersenspeynetphantastiquephantom comicsphil bentleyphillip adamspicknickpicture newspikitia press archivepikitia press comicspikitia press headquarterspikitia press newspikitia press publishingpikitia press publishing schedulepikitia tumblrpiktiia press newspittsurghpledgemepocket book storytellers weeklypolitical Cartooningpolyester bookspootpre moon landing science fictionpresence zineprisoner of warprophetprovidence comics consortiumpublisherpulp illustrationpussy willowr m youngerrachel fentonracism in cartoonsragsrainbowralph hoterereal life adventurerefugee art project zinerefugeesreg hicksreg mombassareg pittrena's journeyreturn of the night eaglerfus dayglorhys jamesribaldric stevensrichard ingramrick randomridwan aitkenrip kirby ace detectiveroald dahlrob paoluccirobb feldmanrobert crumbrobert hughesrobert mictchamrobert riskinrobom squid incrobot 6rock hudsonrocket squadronrod macleodrogue trooperrolf armstrong new zealand painterromance comicsron forsythron searleronnie scottrooster tailsross stewartrotoruaroving peterroy huntroyce bradfordru-pertruby lindsayrufus dayglorugbyrunning tuffruss denverruth atkinsonruth desouzaryan andrewsryan k lindsayryan wiltonsalary mansaltsam sharpesamantha asrisampler comicsamuel goldwynsarah laing darien zamsaturn returnsschool publicationssciencescience fictionscience fiction comicscientific thrillersebastian hawkssecret agent x-9seduction of the innocentsen pencilssercosevenshaolin burningsharon murdochshelf pornshort film adaptionsid scalessignal gallery. Yashar Hosseinisilver flashsilver fox comcissimon amstellsimon and kirbysimon morsesimon wrightsimpsonssir david lowsir gordon minhinnicksixsmithsskinny arseskinny arse comic launchslave labor graphicssnasnakessonia hardiesophie oiseausophie parsons copesouth african artistspider-manspirit fingersspitfiressports cartoonistsports inc 72sports postspx 2014square planet comicssquishfacesquishface comicsst john publicationsst paul st gallerystalag luft IIIstamina clothesstand easy after the defeat of japan 1945standish steelestanley awardstanleysstar wars new zealandstar warsm russ manningstatler and waldorfstatt consultancystefan nevillestephen Cranesteve boltonsteve gerbersteve grimwadesteve hollandsteven weissmanstewart leesticky zine fairsticky zine fair 2014stitch and bitch workshopsstock carsstop wrathallstopford wrathallstrange behaviorstripeystrips comics anthologystrumming teethsue heapsun heraldsuper-detective librarysupport the war effortsusan te kahurangi kingswimming certificatessyd jordansydney cartoonistsydney newspaper comicssydney sun heraldtabloid papertakapunatales from the pubtamyre louisetanya nichollstaranaki daily newstasha harrisstasmaniate rau press ltdted benoitted brodie-mackted withersteenage mutant ninja turtlesterraterry jonesterry teothat bullet proofkidthe Magic Treethe New Zealand Cartoon Archivethe acethe adventures of the kite familythe agethe argusthe auckland starthe australian chucklers weeklythe avenging mindthe bad cavethe bay of plenty beaconthe bishop's wifethe black and white artists clubthe bulletproof kidthe christchurch pressthe comic australianthe comic shopthe countryman newspaperthe crayfishthe crumpleton experimentsthe deepthe dharma punksthe ditko public service packagethe evening postthe fall of lightthe flying ditchmanthe framing workshopthe free lancethe free speech fightsthe fugliesthe gloamingthe great american pin upthe great escapethe guardianthe heidelbergerthe kite familythe ledger awardsthe listthe living roomthe long weekendthe magazine for youththe melbourne writers festival 2012the new zealand free lancethe new zealand freelancethe new zealand listenerthe new zealand tea councilthe new zealand truththe observerthe pet setthe ponsonby ragthe precintthe providence comics consortiumthe purple Pagodathe rocketeerthe sacrificethe seekersthe shadowthe show must go onthe sketcher magazinethe someday funniesthe stanleysthe sticky institutethe story of anzacthe topperthe undertaker morton stonethe weekly time snewspaperthomas david henshawthomas langridgethose fucking unicornsthriller comicsthrilling tales of rotoruathrills incorporatedtichtich doughnut brainytim byrdtim corneliustobruktohby riddletom neelytom shieldtom spurgeontony raftytony renouftrace hodgsontrevisotrevor lloydtricky walshtrio publicationstrue detective police casesturosstuross headtyrone ohoiauk comicsulie Wertzuncle silaunk whiteunmaskedustralian cartoonistsutterly ruckedvampirevane lyndesayvaroomshkavic obeckvice magazinevictoria university pressvictory feature comicvictory feature comicsvideovita britsvumpsw chew chanw r merrillwade shotterwagnerwaiheke islandwally and the majorwalter jardinewanda the wargirlwar effortwar on drugswarren kremerwartime comicwartime illustrationwartime magazinewater colourweb comicswellington zinefestwerewolfweta workshopwhitcomb and tombswhite clouds worldswhite funguswhitman comicswild flower and little elfwilli saunderswilliam dobsonwilliam hearslipwillie saunderswilson and horton ltdwiti ihimaerawonder the comic full of laughterworld war one cartoonsworld war twoworld war two advertisingworld war two cartoonswyndham robinsonyaroslav horakyear in review 2013you are welcome in australiayoutubeyuckzeldazinezineszombie comicPikitia Press Bloghttp://pikitiapress.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Matt Emery)Blogger641125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368138892176447601.post-6154691125717235175Tue, 30 Dec 2014 21:00:00 +00002014-12-31T08:00:00.655+11:00Australian cartoonistAustralian comicsaustralian writerghostbustersmelbourne cartoonistsebastian hawksT-Rex Jonesteenage mutant ninja turtlesHappy 30th Birthday T-Rex Jones<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/tyrannosaurusjones"><img alt="https://www.facebook.com/tyrannosaurusjones" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YE7fF6Mx85g/Uv7_xFiJlJI/AAAAAAAAUi0/V3KlIwVDa2c/s1600/exodus_book_1_cover_by_t_rexjones-d5nh5r1.png" /></a></div><br />http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com/2014/12/happy-30th-birthday-t-rex-jones.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Matt Emery)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368138892176447601.post-4600953197887841016Fri, 26 Dec 2014 21:00:00 +00002014-12-27T08:00:03.244+11:00Australian cartoonistaustralian newspaper cartoonsBIRTHDAYgeoff hookjeff hookHappy 87th Birthday Geoff "Jeff" Hook<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.geoffhook.com/"><img alt="http://www.geoffhook.com/" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zu06Osv9YjI/UvyIw9V9F6I/AAAAAAAAUdk/vP5HoFxr8k0/s1600/424896-geoff-hook.jpg" /></a></div>http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com/2014/12/happy-87th-birthday-geoff-jeff-hook.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Matt Emery)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368138892176447601.post-8760034947009998211Sat, 20 Dec 2014 21:00:00 +00002014-12-21T08:00:03.653+11:00Australian cartoonistAustralian comicsmegg and moggmelbourne cartoonistSimon HanselmannHappy 33rd Birthday Simon Hanselmann<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://girlmountain.tumblr.com/"><img alt="http://girlmountain.tumblr.com/" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W0YrTkMJOug/Uv7-C987r3I/AAAAAAAAUig/jISCJH6VeKQ/s1600/tumblr_n0xwdxthZR1ru22woo1_1280.jpg" /></a></div><br />http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com/2014/12/happy-33rd-birthday-simon-hanselmann.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Matt Emery)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368138892176447601.post-4436187037243011888Tue, 02 Dec 2014 21:00:00 +00002014-12-03T08:00:01.290+11:00Australian cartoonistaustralian cartoonist associationstan crossthe stanleyswally and the majorStan Cross (3 December 1888 – 16 June 1977) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WSNi5busJFQ/UwAZ6BCFXTI/AAAAAAAAUmk/8Os_0L8cezY/s1600/Stan+Cross+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WSNi5busJFQ/UwAZ6BCFXTI/AAAAAAAAUmk/8Os_0L8cezY/s1600/Stan+Cross+1.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />Stan Cross was born today in 1888. American by birth, Cross immigrated with his family from Los Angeles to Perth in 1892. Cross achieved fame as an&nbsp; Australian strip and political cartoonist with work in Smith’s Weekly, The Herald and Weekly Times. Cross is famous for his iconic 1933 “For gorsake, stop laughing: this is serious!” cartoon as well as creating the forerunner newspaper cartoons that spawned long running strips the <i>Wally and the Major</i> and <i>The Potts</i>. The Australian Cartoonist association of which Cross was a founding member and served as president for 1931 - 1954 named their annual awards <i>the Stanleys</i> after Cross.</span>http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com/2014/12/stan-cross-3-december-1888-16-june-1977.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Matt Emery)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368138892176447601.post-8340286246950521190Thu, 27 Nov 2014 21:00:00 +00002014-11-28T08:00:02.129+11:00eric heathnew zealand cartoonistnew zealand cartoonsnewspaper cartoonistpolitical cartoonistHappy 91st Birthday Eric Heath<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Heath_%28artist%29"><img alt="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Heath_%28artist%29" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ROm2SAgPoUU/Uv_22rPA4jI/AAAAAAAAUmM/3tHqCZh_TSI/s1600/Untitled-6.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com/2014/11/happy-91st-birthday-eric-heath.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Matt Emery)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368138892176447601.post-6769228286505887133Fri, 14 Nov 2014 21:00:00 +00002014-11-15T08:00:04.076+11:00Australian cartoonistAustralian comicsaustralian newspaper stripaustralian syndicated newspaper cartoonBIRTHDAYginger meggsjames kemsleyJames Kemsley (15 Nov 1948 – 3 Dec 2007)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Kemsley"><img alt="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Kemsley" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HIrwkDzy3bg/UvvFLw5dqyI/AAAAAAAAUcE/5242NbMYeZo/s1600/jameskemsley_wideweb__470x347,0.jpg" /></a></div><br />http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com/2014/11/james-kemsley-15-nov-1948-3-dec-2007.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Matt Emery)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368138892176447601.post-2691607890606633392Sun, 05 Oct 2014 21:00:00 +00002014-10-06T08:00:00.834+11:00dylan horrockshicksvillenew zealand cartoonistNew Zealand Comicssam zabel and the magic penHappy Birthday 48th Birthday Dylan Horrocks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HzRnCbGLFfA/Uv8IEXsFV9I/AAAAAAAAUjg/ght-AK1gTKM/s1600/26dylanhorrocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HzRnCbGLFfA/Uv8IEXsFV9I/AAAAAAAAUjg/ght-AK1gTKM/s1600/26dylanhorrocks.jpg" /></a></div><br />http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com/2014/10/happy-birthday-48th-birthday-dylan.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Matt Emery)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368138892176447601.post-1679401462149353918Fri, 26 Sep 2014 22:00:00 +00002014-09-27T08:00:01.599+10:00darren sheehankelly sheehannew zealand cartoonistNew Zealand Comicssheehan brothersthe inhabitantsHappy 42nd Birthday Darren Sheehan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://theinhabitants.blogspot.co.nz/"><img alt="http://theinhabitants.blogspot.co.nz/" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IjCT6R4PHQQ/Uvnqqs6TbkI/AAAAAAAAUZg/aGC06vHdfwg/s1600/karmicape2.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com/2014/09/happy-42nd-birthday-darren-sheehan.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Matt Emery)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368138892176447601.post-4183606612686509338Sat, 09 Aug 2014 06:10:00 +00002014-08-09T16:10:24.367+10:00australian cartoonistsAustralian comicsnew zealand cartoonistsNew Zealand Comicspikitia press comicsNew Pikitia Press Website<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://pikitiapress.com/"><img alt="http://pikitiapress.com/" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Po9bunZ8pfQ/U-W53BhF3iI/AAAAAAAAVQc/P_AawtmAj_s/s1600/aa.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">After a few years on blogger we're moving to a new site: <a href="http://www.pikitiapress.com/">www.pikitiapress.com</a></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Please update your bookmarks and RSS feeds.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Posts have been sporadic here lately as I've been tinkering with the new site and the distractions of publishing but I hope to have a regular flow of comic news, interviews, reviews and blather as of next week. The Summer Pikitia Press publishing schedule will go up this week as well as our SPX debut comics which are currently popping out of the printer into my hot hands as I type this.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">They'll still be the occasional update here as foolishly previously scheduled posts appear throughout the rest of this year, although eventually the bulk of what I've posted on this blog will be available on the new site.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Thanks to all the readers and supporters, I really appreciate the support and interest in this obsession that is comics.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Matt Emery - August 2014</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KqXKTSAA_vY/U-W5_AngMgI/AAAAAAAAVQk/6xu22h084do/s1600/IMG_3293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KqXKTSAA_vY/U-W5_AngMgI/AAAAAAAAVQk/6xu22h084do/s1600/IMG_3293.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com/2014/08/new-pikitia-press-website.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Matt Emery)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368138892176447601.post-4774767075853791250Wed, 23 Jul 2014 22:00:00 +00002014-07-24T08:00:01.896+10:00Australian cartoonistnewspaper cartoonistpat oliphantpolitical cartoonistHappy 79th Birthday Pat Oliphant<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.gocomics.com/patoliphant/"><img alt="http://www.gocomics.com/patoliphant/" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4XI7PdkGNo4/UvyIw8CLTaI/AAAAAAAAUdo/BTv83c4xaiw/s1600/20ollie.jpg" /></a></div>http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com/2014/07/happy-79th-birthday-pat-oliphant.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Matt Emery)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368138892176447601.post-1369764495554532636Mon, 21 Jul 2014 22:00:00 +00002014-07-22T08:00:03.788+10:00angela air hostessaustralian writerBetty RolandBIRTHDAYgirl comichulton pressvickyBetty Roland (22 July 1903 – 12 February 1996)<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a-uTEkMNqEw/Uv_DEnNZlpI/AAAAAAAAUkA/rNK2wz7fm2s/s1600/roland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a-uTEkMNqEw/Uv_DEnNZlpI/AAAAAAAAUkA/rNK2wz7fm2s/s1600/roland.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;</span></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Australian writer Betty Roland was born today in 1903. A playwright and novelist, Roland also wrote for magazines, children's books and comics in Australia and England.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com.au/2011/09/betty-roland.html">Biographical notes and samples of Newspaper strip The Conways and Angela and the Runaway Heiress for Girl Annual 1962.</a></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/betty-roland-girl-comic.html">Angela Air Hostess and Vicky and the Crested Dragon</a></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/purple-pagoda-betty-roland.html">The Purple Pagoda</a></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/rajahs-secret-betty-roland.html">The Rajah's Secret</a></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">&nbsp; <br /><a href="http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/vicky-in-painted-emperor-betty-roland.html">Vicky and the Painted Emperor</a></span></span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5N8IqSucinI/Uv_Dfruz2XI/AAAAAAAAUkI/lSafTlUIo9s/s1600/00007.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5N8IqSucinI/Uv_Dfruz2XI/AAAAAAAAUkI/lSafTlUIo9s/s1600/00007.jpg" /></a>&nbsp;</span> </span></span></div>http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com/2014/07/betty-roland-22-july-1903-12-february.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Matt Emery)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368138892176447601.post-7684358182079917687Sat, 05 Jul 2014 22:00:00 +00002014-07-06T08:00:00.650+10:00andrew fultonAustralian cartoonistAustralian comicsbeardmelbourne cartoonistHappy 38th birthday Andrew Fulton<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://mumblier.com/"><img alt="http://mumblier.com/" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tZVGmm5-8dA/Uv_HM_5wXcI/AAAAAAAAUko/eJXJIhXb77Q/s1600/tumblr_lat7vgCpwL1qclyefo1_500.jpg" /></a></div><br />http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com/2014/07/happy-38th-birthday-andrew-fulton.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Matt Emery)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368138892176447601.post-2653531012179454607Sat, 28 Jun 2014 01:54:00 +00002014-06-28T11:54:07.686+10:00barry lintonlucky aki in the new stone ageNew Zealand Comicspublishingstrips comics anthologyPublishing: Lucky Aki in the New Stone Age<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GycymKQ5Xds/U64fVPJycsI/AAAAAAAAVOg/QvISJlB18tI/s1600/Lucky+Aki+FrontCover1y.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GycymKQ5Xds/U64fVPJycsI/AAAAAAAAVOg/QvISJlB18tI/s1600/Lucky+Aki+FrontCover1y.jpg" height="640" width="451" /></a></div><br /><div class="caption"><div id="description_label"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://pikitiapress.storenvy.com/">Pikitia Press</a> are proud to present Barry Linton’s <em>Lucky Aki in The New Stone Age. </em><strong><em></em></strong></span></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;</span></span></div><div class="caption"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lucky Aki in the New Stone Age is the first volume in a series chronicling teenage explorer Lucky Aki’s adventures through the islands and cultures of a re-imagined past.</span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><div id="product_description"><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>From Barry Linton’s afterword:</strong></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>"What if there was a time, now out of mind, when there were many more islands of all sizes, and few or no continents, with busy island groups, trading, fishing, herding, farming and lots of seasonal voyaging, eh?"</em></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>"A youth might dream of a life sailing the myriad island trade ways, exploring the unknown fertile shores, and a youth might get lucky, then as now."</em></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://hicksvillecomics.com/stories/?p=296">To The I-Land - The Comics of Barry Linton by Dylan Horrocks</a></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Barry Linton bio by Dylan Horrocks</strong></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Barry Linton has been drawing comics since the early 1970s and was a key figure in the influential New Zealand comics anthology Strips. His comics and drawings have been published in books, magazines and literary journals and on posters and album covers.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Barry’s early comics detail the lives and loves of a group of characters living in a familiar South Pacific city, with plenty of music, sex, politics and drugs. Over the years his characters wrestled with broken relationships, parenthood, criminal gangs and crooked lawyers. In one story the cartoonist Spud is kidnapped and chained to a drawing board, forced to churn out pornographic comics by his gun-toting captors. In recent years Barry has worked on a series of graphic novels set in a fictionalised neolithic Oceania, Lucky Aki, and comics exploring ancient history, UFOs and the future of humanity.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>AVAILABLE FROM <a href="http://pikitiapress.storenvy.com/">THE PIKITIA PRESS STORE</a> NOW.</strong></span></span></div></div></div>http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com/2014/06/publishing-lucky-aki-in-new-stone-age.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Matt Emery)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368138892176447601.post-764421679564728187Wed, 25 Jun 2014 22:00:00 +00002014-06-26T08:00:01.003+10:00Australian cartoonistAustralian comicsfrank candiloromelbourne cartoonistHappy 29th Birthday Frank Candiloro<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.frankcandiloro.com/"><img alt="http://www.frankcandiloro.com/" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aLXscyhalWU/Uv8GFYPH07I/AAAAAAAAUjU/Uso86qsB-pM/s1600/BJFZkyZCMAA3No3.jpg" /></a></div><br />http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com/2014/06/happy-29th-birthday-frank-candiloro.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Matt Emery)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368138892176447601.post-7219707005884733660Mon, 23 Jun 2014 00:30:00 +00002014-06-23T10:30:01.539+10:00james squiresmoonbeardnew zealand cartoonistNew Zealand comicpublishingsampler comicsnasnakesPublishing: Snasnakes!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cAfJ4-pxcMM/U6bQM0ZiFTI/AAAAAAAAVOM/e5IPeqpnA-c/s1600/Snakes+cover-1b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cAfJ4-pxcMM/U6bQM0ZiFTI/AAAAAAAAVOM/e5IPeqpnA-c/s1600/Snakes+cover-1b.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Pikitia Press are proud to present New Zealand's funniest comic<span style="color: #0000ee;">, <a href="http://moonbeard.com/">Moonbeard</a>, </span>in paper form!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Snasnakes -&nbsp; a Moonbeard sampler by Squires available now from <a href="http://pikitiapress.storenvy.com/products/7989492-snasnakes">the Pikitia Press Store.</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/james-squires-interview.html">Read our January interview with Moonbeard Maestro James Squires. </a></span></div>http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com/2014/06/publishing-snasnakes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Matt Emery)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368138892176447601.post-9075763736322762483Sun, 22 Jun 2014 12:18:00 +00002014-06-22T22:39:04.684+10:00andy conlanAustralian comicscorn stonejames jameskarl willsmilk shadow booksmr unpronounceablenew zealand cartoonistNew Zealand Comicstim molloywade shotterwilli saundersTim Molloy Interview Part One<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bk4EBvq-7w0/U6bDviL5XhI/AAAAAAAAVNI/dQCTFaiCjV4/s1600/tumblr_mvxxlnPLw11qziwijo1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bk4EBvq-7w0/U6bDviL5XhI/AAAAAAAAVNI/dQCTFaiCjV4/s1600/tumblr_mvxxlnPLw11qziwijo1_1280.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">My</span></span> first encounter with Tim Molloy was at an Auckland Armageddon convention</span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> in the early 00's</span></span></span></span>. In those days artist's alley was bundled into the foyer of the Aotea Centre and tables were free (!).&nbsp; I was tabling next to Tim and friends and I recall them throwing things around the room and generally terrorising other cartoonists in the vicinity. The second day I saw one of the <a href="http://www.theaureview.com/sites/default/files/jason-carter2.jpg">guests from Babylon 5</a> come over and hang with Tim and his pals. He'd been out with them the night before. Wow! I thought, these crazy comics guys hang out with tv stars! <br /><br />On the last day I traded Tim my minicomic for an early Mr Unpronounceable comic which had the same disturbing surrealism of his recent work in a still developing roughly hewn art style. There's a period of New Zealand cartoonists from the</span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> self-publishing boom of the '90's and early '00's</span></span> that have kept their hand in the comics game,&nbsp; of which I'd regard Tim and I'm glad to see his work reaching a wider audience in the last couple years through Melbourne publisher Milk Shadow Books.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gUvRWtS1_FI/U6bFWqHcElI/AAAAAAAAVNs/6r7kP-dwHLM/s1600/tumblr_meikoc8i5p1qziwijo1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gUvRWtS1_FI/U6bFWqHcElI/AAAAAAAAVNs/6r7kP-dwHLM/s1600/tumblr_meikoc8i5p1qziwijo1_1280.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What were the first comics you read? What were the comics that inspired you to make your own? </b></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It would have been Tintin, &nbsp;Asterix that kinda thing. Disney comics.. . Got into superhero stuff later, &nbsp;then 2000ad Etc... Calvin and Hobbes... I was making comics very young. These probably had a hand in that... &nbsp;I got into Milk and Cheese later . I started doing a mash up/ rip off of them and Calvin and Hobbes called Nasty Neville and Mr Weasel. When I discovered local stuff, &nbsp;local creators I've Andy Conlan, &nbsp;Wade Shotter, &nbsp;Corn Stone, &nbsp;knuckles, &nbsp;you know, &nbsp;James James... I dived right in with Poot, &nbsp;Ninja Sheep, &nbsp;Drunken Otter... </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What are some of the influences from outside of the world of comics?</b></span></span><br /><div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I draw inspiration from all quarters. I've actually spent a lot more time imbibing novels, audiobooks, cinema and fine art than I have spent reading comics... Earliest memory of art would be pulling a Dali book down off the shelf and having my 5 year old mind blown. I have a very active dream life also. I've always had a sense of 'the other' and explores that realm as best I can through experiments in lucid dreaming, readings into the Occult and in the past, psychedelics. Life itself is an inspiration... a turn of phrase, the way light might be streaming in through a strange window, a half glimpsed person down an evening alley... It's all good!</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zgvTaaOgi-g/U6bFW3nJWVI/AAAAAAAAVNw/ta4yI_lrYb8/s1600/tumblr_mkjy8m1dOj1qziwijo1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zgvTaaOgi-g/U6bFW3nJWVI/AAAAAAAAVNw/ta4yI_lrYb8/s1600/tumblr_mkjy8m1dOj1qziwijo1_1280.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;</span></span> </div><div class="im"><div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>How do you find balance between working in various art mediums? to the best of my knowledge you create comics, paintings, sculpture and music, does any one art form take precedent?</b></span></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I kind of tend to gravitate towards one thing or another at any given time. I'm just coming out of a heavy comics period (1 or 2 pages a day) and going into some traditional art territory. Whatever is most important at any given time is what I tend to concentrate on. Working out whats important can be the hard thing sometimes... In the end though, comics will probably win out. Here's hoping I never have to make a choice to stick to any one thing! Music is serious fun, and the only team sport I have ever taken part in. My band Plague Doctor explores a lot of the same themes I do in my work, but you can dance to it.</span></span> </div><div class="im"><div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What led to you moving from New Zealand to Australia?</b></span></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I am an economic refugee. I came by plane though, so thankfully I was not locked up indefinitely in a detention center.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--21iWHvMUx0/U6bFXH3AyPI/AAAAAAAAVN4/1I7MaVeb4bc/s1600/tumblr_n6jnevxFRL1qziwijo1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--21iWHvMUx0/U6bFXH3AyPI/AAAAAAAAVN4/1I7MaVeb4bc/s1600/tumblr_n6jnevxFRL1qziwijo1_1280.jpg" /></a></div></div><div><div class="im"><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Can you talk a bit about the comics/art community in New Zealand when you lived there</b>.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">My journey started with me going to those early 'Iconz' conventions (Is that what they were called?) I ran into the likes of Willi Saunders, Wade Shotter, Andy Conlan, Karl Wills. Loved the irreverent, DIY aesthetic. When I came across the work of James James, and then met him in person, I started getting my work out there. That was 1997? My last year of High School. Those were fun days. Comics and music and art and poetry were all in the same place in those days. I imagine they still are. K Rd was where it was at.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />James and I were the youngest, and (sometimes) the most badly behaved participants at 'Poetry Live' at Alleluyah in St Kevins Arcade. Hanging around at Corn Stones house, playing Sooth, reading comics, smoking Beedies and drinking the cheapest booze available. Met a whole cast of weirdos and geniuses through that scene. Everybody knew everybody else and the yearly con at the Aotea Centre (sometimes a trip down to Wellington!) was a good chance to get drunk, hassle B-Grade Science Fiction celebrities and unload some photocopied comics on an unsuspecting public.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />It was a very welcoming, vibrant space to develop and grow as an artist, but not without it's share of drama and beef! We played a lot of music, UMX (The Uncle Marty Experience) was our first band (after 'The Tools of Waste' we made a tape called 'The Resin Sessions') and we terrorized audiences with the help of Uncle Marty, our aged patriarch - may he rest in peace.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />I became good friends with Ben Stenbeck, The Sheehan Brothers and some of the other people on the 'weird' end of the spectrum. Drew a lot of inspiration and encouragement there. I hung around at Auckland Uni, got a lot of comics into Craccum, drank at Shadows, smoked in Albert park, studied animation on Queen St. Cheap rent, magic mushrooms, cask wine, The Kiss And Make Up Club, St Kevin's Arcade, inky fingers, good people, late nights and lots of fun parties...</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Damn! I'm getting all nostalgic now! I could sit here, peering through the mist of time all day, but these are the first impressions that leap out of the gloom at me.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nkYmHmecwrE/U6bDwpjR_pI/AAAAAAAAVNU/RyfnvnNM1_A/s1600/tumblr_n5plbzqZHE1qziwijo1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nkYmHmecwrE/U6bDwpjR_pI/AAAAAAAAVNU/RyfnvnNM1_A/s1600/tumblr_n5plbzqZHE1qziwijo1_1280.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;<a href="http://timmolloy.tumblr.com/">timmolloy.tumblr.com</a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;<a href="http://www.milkshadowbooks.com/">milkshadowbooks.com</a></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div>http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com/2014/06/tim-molloy-interview-part-one.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Matt Emery)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368138892176447601.post-7471877871653655794Sat, 14 Jun 2014 22:00:00 +00002014-06-15T08:00:00.994+10:00american cartoonistAustralian cartoonistchristopher downesnewspaper cartoonspolitical cartoonstasmanian cartoonistHappy 40th Birthday Christopher Downes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheCartoonsOfChristopherDownes"><img alt="https://www.facebook.com/TheCartoonsOfChristopherDownes" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mCKN8a_mq_M/UuW4l_lUUHI/AAAAAAAAUFc/W922eRi5dis/s1600/248762_493583567358421_2034699545_n.png" /></a></div><br />http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com/2014/06/happy-40th-birthday-christopher-downes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Matt Emery)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368138892176447601.post-5785631160546121544Thu, 12 Jun 2014 22:00:00 +00002014-06-13T08:00:03.760+10:00david lownew zealand cartoonistnewspaper cartoonistpolitical cartoonistSir Gordon Edward George MinhinnickSir Gordon Edward George Minhinnick (13 June 1902 – 19 February 1992)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5bKpfpi_uPs/Uv_lDc6jaJI/AAAAAAAAUl0/AKyxLKThbDM/s1600/Untitled-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5bKpfpi_uPs/Uv_lDc6jaJI/AAAAAAAAUl0/AKyxLKThbDM/s1600/Untitled-3.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Sir Gordon Edward George Minhinnick was born today in 1902. With a career spanning over sixty years, receiving an OBE in 1950 and Knighthood in 1976, Minhinnick could be considered one of New Zealand's most beloved cartoonists.</span></span><br /><br />http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com/2014/06/sir-gordon-edward-george-minhinnick-13.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Matt Emery)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368138892176447601.post-1272107001302709094Mon, 02 Jun 2014 09:10:00 +00002014-06-02T19:35:06.644+10:00Australian comicsBen Hutchingsmilk shadow bookstales from the pubwalking to japanyou stink and I don'tBen Hutchings Interview Part One<span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is the first part of a belated series of interviews with cartoonists working with Melbourne publisher Milk Shadow Books. If I can manage it they should all run over the course of June.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I first met Ben Hutchings almost a decade ago at a convention in Wellington where the artist's alley consisted of Ben, his esteemed colleague David Blumenstein and myself with a couple friends. It wasn't a great experience for us, it turned out all the hep comic cats in Wellington were attending a New Zealand comics weekend at a pub up the road. I always like talking to Ben, we share a bunch of similar experiences with comics in our formative years and I very much admire his passion for making comics.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6SdKFWkEfX8/U4w7e8YcjpI/AAAAAAAAVMQ/tWL1LRgGpF0/s1600/tumblr_n2cn98i3XT1slor3yo1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6SdKFWkEfX8/U4w7e8YcjpI/AAAAAAAAVMQ/tWL1LRgGpF0/s1600/tumblr_n2cn98i3XT1slor3yo1_1280.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-b5f69cfe-5f48-0123-39e0-7595c71a6dae" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">MATT EMERY: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">&nbsp;What were the first comics you read? What were the comics that inspired you to make your own?</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">BEN HUTCHINGS: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The first comics I read were all the old Whitman and Gold Key ones, who did lots of Disney and Richie Rich, Scooby Doo, all that stuff. </span></span></span></div><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">All the comics that used to have the ads for the X-Ray specs, and slim jims, and those bloody genuine flint arrowheads. Oh and ads for selling GRIT magazine. The ads were the most interesting things in them I think. &nbsp;They made you greedy with all the illustrations of great things you could buy. &nbsp;All kinds of weird food, practical jokes and toys. &nbsp;America seemed to have all the coolest stuff. The comic content of all of these was amazingly mediocre. They never made me smile or laugh. I still don't know why people fondly remember Scooby Doo, or any of that Hanna Barbera shite. They were soulless!</span></span></span></div><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I was inspired to make my own comics when I discovered British humour comics. They had a lot more spirit and heart, and even though they were formulaic, I get the feeling they were done by people who cared about what they were doing. They were also strange because they used a lot of British colloquialisms and cultural details like bangers and mash!</span></span></span></div><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Of course I was raised from birth with Tintin comics, but for some reason you never think of them as comics do ya. &nbsp;But needless to say I adored them, and still do.</span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">&nbsp;</span>&nbsp;</span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TLmMDotsHHA/U4w9MXutifI/AAAAAAAAVMg/Fmm7OHH4bzA/s1600/tumblr_n21wokru041slor3yo1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TLmMDotsHHA/U4w9MXutifI/AAAAAAAAVMg/Fmm7OHH4bzA/s1600/tumblr_n21wokru041slor3yo1_1280.jpg" /></a></span></span></div><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">EMERY: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Where did you grow up? Were comics easily available to you? Where did you typically get them from?</span></span></span></div><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">HUTCHINGS:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I was born in Moruya, NSW but grew up in Canberra. Every Saturday I'd ride my bike to the local newsagents. Aside from MAD or the Phantom, the selection of comics in newsagents was always erratic, so it was a bit exciting to see what would be there. If I ventured further out on my bike I might find a whole different bunch of titles in some more distant one! &nbsp;An odd Superman, or some weird Aussie comic, or maybe they'd have three different Archie titles instead of just one. It was always exciting to stumble across a newsagent I'd never been to before, and explore the comic section.</span></span></span></div><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Second hand shops were, and still can be incredible places to discover hidden piles of old, obscure titles. These days they seem to have more comics than before, too. It's fun to scour the foreign sections for cheap manga, Chinese Tintins, Italian Mickey Mouses, or some risque European hard cover comics.</span></span></span></div><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Once I discovered Impact Records in the city, saving up for trips there after school with my mate became my favourite ritual. We'd blow $40 on everything and anything, and as it grew dark outside we'd sit on the floor of the bus on the way home, amongst the legs of public servants, comparing our hauls for the day.</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3cpmdWNg-ZA/U4w88KBDdfI/AAAAAAAAVMc/RI-MIJ8IBx4/s1600/Me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3cpmdWNg-ZA/U4w88KBDdfI/AAAAAAAAVMc/RI-MIJ8IBx4/s1600/Me.jpg" /></a></span></span></div><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">EMERY:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Who were the first comic creators that you recognised by name or style?</span></span></span></div><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">HUTCHINGS:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I reckon I got pretty good at recognising some of the artists who worked on Batman and Justice League in the 90s. I loved Adam Hughes, coz he was really good at clean, appealing faces. They didn't look like the typical rushed sort of thing, and the stories were pretty funny. I could also pick Brian Bolland pretty quickly. &nbsp;</span></span></span></div><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">EMERY: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When did you first draw your own comics?</span></span></span></div><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">HUTCHINGS:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I can't remember when I did my first comic - it must have been when I was 9 or 10. I was already drawing funny pictures but never in a sequential style. I think my first comic was about a legion of superheroes called "Mo". &nbsp;By Year 6 I had the patience to finish comics that lasted several pages. They were nearly always parodies. I found a big pile of them the other day! &nbsp;I have one called "Battyman" and I think I called the Joker "The Jokester" or something hilarious like that. It's interesting because I teach children cartooning now, and always remember myself having way more patience and care than they do, but nooooo.</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uvdb2Ddgwc8/U4w3lCUjSII/AAAAAAAAVMA/zr45CTstC1g/s1600/hutchopics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uvdb2Ddgwc8/U4w3lCUjSII/AAAAAAAAVMA/zr45CTstC1g/s1600/hutchopics.jpg" /></a></span></span></div><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">EMERY:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Was there a particular project where you felt you had established your own style? I always thought your work had a consistent tone of humour and I wondered if you felt there was a project where you consolidated your craft or style of drawing?</span></span></span></div><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">HUTCHINGS: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I reckon Lesson Master was the comic that sums up my style! &nbsp;Very cartoony but with lots of detail. &nbsp;The people looked a little goofy but the environments and objects were usually pretty accurate. That's the style I feel most comfortable working in, and the most fun. But I never stick with one style and am always figuring out the best way to draw. For example in Iron Bard which I'm doing now, I am pushing the detail way more, and trying to find the perfect mix of funny/realistic to give to the characters. &nbsp;Even the shading techniques change throughout it coz I can't decide. &nbsp;On the other hand I'm posting a few webcomics now and then which have a deliberately inaccurate and loose style that I love doing. So really I don't feel like I've consolidated my style of drawing yet, even though I think most people can recognise my art when they see it.</span></span></span></div><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">EMERY: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A while back you mentioned to me you’d like to attempt projects outside of the humour genre, have you made any progress with this idea?</span></span></span></div><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Not actively working on anything serious yet unless you count rough story outlines and scene thumbnails. &nbsp;It seems to get pushed back all the time. &nbsp;I have a number of serious ideas which I think would be great. &nbsp;Ideas like that are stressful because I know I can do funny joke comics, but I think telling a poignant story will really expose my shortcomings in that area. &nbsp;They could be hamfisted, or shallow, or derivative or self indulgent or unoriginal without me knowing. &nbsp;I am not afraid of being insincere with them at least.</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C3dO8l4aOVU/U4w2ua4BeQI/AAAAAAAAVL4/dDTr7Rwokbk/s1600/tumblr_m6kl2fl6CZ1r6kxbqo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C3dO8l4aOVU/U4w2ua4BeQI/AAAAAAAAVL4/dDTr7Rwokbk/s1600/tumblr_m6kl2fl6CZ1r6kxbqo1_500.jpg" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">EMERY:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> With Squishface you've established a long running comics studio in Melbourne, &nbsp;How has having a studio and an environment with several cartoonists/artists impacted on your work? Can you talk about future plans for the studio?</span></span></span></div><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">HUTCHINGS:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Two years now, which was my original hope. Two years means it has actually made an impression and become a 'thing' people will remember even if it dies. So now we're starting year number three. When you are around other people who are also involved in their own projects, new things always get thrown your way, and being a sort of institution, festivals and events and people always approach us. I started it because I loved having people watch us work when we did Inherent Vice, but I find the public aspect of it very different here. When it's only me here I find I like to shut the door and work away in solitude, but when there's a few of us here I like inviting people in but it's a bit more one-on-one, being a small enclosed room. I find it hard to have one day away from this studio. I always wind my way back. I have no future plans except for this place to survive, but I would like it to have more activity, and to bring in a bit more money from comic sales and art sales. That's about it!!!</span></span></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://benhutchings.tumblr.com/">benhutchings.tumblr.com</a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://hutcho.wordpress.com/">hutcho.wordpress.com</a></span></span></div>http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com/2014/06/ben-hutchings-interview-part-one.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Matt Emery)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368138892176447601.post-5980398665277264227Mon, 02 Jun 2014 07:56:00 +00002014-06-02T19:35:38.600+10:00piktiia press newsspx 2014Small Press Expo 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7mUIeCVo07k/U4wsXa9o6TI/AAAAAAAAVLo/2SqTwGhYEgQ/s1600/1607133_10152038487047669_1414023256_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7mUIeCVo07k/U4wsXa9o6TI/AAAAAAAAVLo/2SqTwGhYEgQ/s1600/1607133_10152038487047669_1414023256_n.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It's three and a half months away but Pikitia Press are very excited to be returning to SPX this year!</span></span>http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com/2014/06/small-press-expo-2014.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Matt Emery)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368138892176447601.post-8546150462060971889Sun, 01 Jun 2014 01:59:00 +00002014-06-01T11:59:16.474+10:00Matthew Kelly Interview Part Two<span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Almost three months ago I ran the first part of an interview with Matt Kelly, New Zealand cartoonist behind Kiwiman. Things have slowed down a little around the Pikitia Citadel so I can now present you the concluding Matt Kelly interview part two.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Read <a href="http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/kiwiman-comics-matt-kelly-interview.html">Matt Kelly Interview Part One.</a></span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NH1Nantv26U/U4qE6gwIlRI/AAAAAAAAVKg/BK2cinP17g0/s1600/Kiwiman-Strip_41ABC-e5f7f9d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NH1Nantv26U/U4qE6gwIlRI/AAAAAAAAVKg/BK2cinP17g0/s1600/Kiwiman-Strip_41ABC-e5f7f9d.jpg" /></a></div>&nbsp; <br /><div class="im"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Did you make comics before Kiwiman? I think I recall you being active on the BRD at least several years ago.</b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Two very different things there: being active on the brd; and making comics. And two very different experiences. I made two minicomics before embarking on Kiwiman. They were each made in order to attend Armageddon comic expos, back when they were transitioning from a fairly healthy boutique show (with a NZ comics 'alley') to the monstrous and successful comic-con impersonator that it is nowadays.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />The first comic I made was the most successful in all senses: it was made on time, it was a large 24 page story, it was funny (says me) but not really about something, and it looked okay as a finished piece. It is called <i>Not the New Losers: Mr Trigger goes on Holiday</i>, and is based on James James's mini comic <i>The New Losers</i>, itself loosely based on Jack Kirby's <i>The Losers.</i></span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HG6l0ZBmBHU/U4qE-s694MI/AAAAAAAAVLE/gmS_aeX7I6w/s1600/Kiwiman_For_Sale_37_ABC-24d5e13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HG6l0ZBmBHU/U4qE-s694MI/AAAAAAAAVLE/gmS_aeX7I6w/s1600/Kiwiman_For_Sale_37_ABC-24d5e13.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The production process was ridiculous, I drew each panel on separate rectangles of scrap paper with bic pens of differing colours. I pasted these down to an a3 page. I felt that I had to do this in order not to take it seriously and therefore to get it done at all. It worked but it meant that the reproduction was a challenge. In having it printed I was lucky enough to get a really great woman do the job (I never got her name). her first effort was not good enough though, and although she had printed the entire run of 50 or however many it was (probably not that many) I had to get her to redo it as it was reproduced too light to read. Considering the crap state of the originals she really made the second run incredibly good.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The receptionist at the photocopier's was a bit odd, a pudgy white late forties type with tightly curled permed hair. She said she liked comics and would read my book, I found her bedside manner a bit weird but tried to be nice and left it at that. Anyway, a few days later I got a call early one morning on my way to work and this weird lady tried to tell me that the management didn't want me to come back to them for more photocopying because she found the book offensive. I barely realized who she was at the time of her call and it lent a surreal feeling to the day.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />The second minicomic I produced was called “Welcome to Planet Pollywood” and is a curious, shorter piece that I don't really understand. I guess it has a vague story structure but it is not very satisfying. I may have been using brush and ink on that book a little, but I thing it mostly would have been pigment pens. The reception these comics got was purely negligible. In an apparent state of temporary insanity I gave away most of the first ('not the new losers')comics to other nz comickers at the convention without even getting much swapsies back. I think I was just excited to be there. I did make a few sales and A few people have told me it is funny and that is gratifying.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EZjRecs097o/U4qE50sqSiI/AAAAAAAAVKc/hZhXMAV-Zzo/s1600/Kiwiman_For_Sale-40ABCD-9d34a85.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EZjRecs097o/U4qE50sqSiI/AAAAAAAAVKc/hZhXMAV-Zzo/s1600/Kiwiman_For_Sale-40ABCD-9d34a85.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Whereas the BRD (Black River Digital message group) was actually a bit more like that phone call from the photocopy receptionist. At first I probably broke a lot of protocols, this was the first online community I'd ever joined. There was a poster who seemed to try to undermine things I said quite a lot at the beginning which I found confusing and not all that nice. After a while though things seemed to settle into a kind of pattern where there would occasionally arise some topic of heat, most typically either a conversation about starting yet another anthology comic and how it should be done and all that, or else a flame war of bitter childish hurtful rivalry. This is actually not a totally fair representation of the BRD, there were some very vital and riveting conversations not always about but usually about comics, and there were a lot of interesting people.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />The best posts were newbies informing us all (time and time again) of their great original plan to make a comic themselves and then approach their local dairy to stock it, thereby creating, single handed, a new zealand comics industry. It was hard to respond to these people without being cynical, but somehow it was much harder not to respond. Just telling them that it was a good idea and to go on and do it never seemed to get them very far. In the end I developed a kind of form letter response explaining that there were local anthologies they could submit to, that making comics is hard graft but worth it, and that their enthusiasm was commendable (at least that's what I think I said now).</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />When the BRD was good it was very good, but it was a bit of a nonstarter in other ways. I think it would have been (and perhaps still could be) better for the members to have founded a webcomic anthology so that the comments thread had something productive to bud from. A platform for all the newbies to jump in straight away, and the same platform for the jam-like comic ideas to have been instantly started off without any further organisation than starting a new comic thread. Hindsight's 20/20.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">To be fair the brd is quite old and probably predated most user friendly comics blog interfaces. In fact I can remember the red letter day when <a href="http://www.littleprojecta.com/BRD/">LarsCawley </a>announced that we could post images (a definite plus for a comics community).</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Actually Simon adams, Nic Sando, David Bradbury and I did set off doing a comic-jam as a result of our membership at BRD. We emailed each other the pages (off BRD) and it went on for a fair while, it was quite a cool way to make a comic. It may have been brought to an end a bit too abruptly though, and that might be why it has never seen print or posting (to my knowledge) anywhere.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tHDOy16HAL4/U4qHXOr2OQI/AAAAAAAAVLM/3vLK3mB4-MA/s1600/Kiwiman_For_Sale_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tHDOy16HAL4/U4qHXOr2OQI/AAAAAAAAVLM/3vLK3mB4-MA/s1600/Kiwiman_For_Sale_3.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="im"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Kiwiman is one of the few indigenous New Zealand superhero characters, New Zealand cartoonists typically pursue other genres, can you talk about the genesis of Kiwiman and what interests you about the superhero genre?</b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">KIWIMAN GENESIS: ORIGIN ISSUE - Simon Adams and I were working at the same call centre for a while and so we had a bit of time to talk about comics. Simon, I think, broached the subject of a New Zealand comics Universe and what that would look like. Also we discussed the fact that no one had really produced a large New Zealand super hero continuity, that we knew of.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;</span></span> <br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">After making a few enthusiastic but probably deeply incomplete lists of NZ characters (including Ches and Dale the cheese cockies who are not strictly speaking comic characters) we gravitated towards a New Zealand Super Hero Universe. We made lists and sketches of characters, and this occupied us for a bit. Kiwiman came from this period of research.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />I drew up a ridiculous super hero that was a national self-deprecation. However the concept seemed to have some innate worth, partly in terms of a kitsch value, but mostly in terms of addressing important ecological concerns. The super hero genre per se leaves me pretty un-entertained. Some of the art in S.H. books is good, but rarely am I impressed or distracted enough by the story to keep reading. For example I tried to read 'Hush' (a Batman “story arc” with art by Jim Lee and story by someone I found too boring to even remember their name) and I just couldn't sustain a complete read. I find the concept of North American superhero comics as a playbox of toylike characters that a writer is allowed to borrow and play with does not encourage interesting or believable characterisation.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oNg5n3_o21Q/U4qHXh9tKfI/AAAAAAAAVLQ/vUKND4YgQIY/s1600/Kiwiman_For_Sale_31_ABCD-e938ch4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oNg5n3_o21Q/U4qHXh9tKfI/AAAAAAAAVLQ/vUKND4YgQIY/s1600/Kiwiman_For_Sale_31_ABCD-e938ch4.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Super heroes may be an adventure genre but if there's no real people with real emotions and lives to be risked it all plays like a carbon copy of itself over and over again with ill defined motives for everyone concerned. Also a lot of the dialogue is empty of human contact or reads wooden like bad actors. That puts me off too.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I'd like to mention 'the Mawpawk' by Laurence Clark and Kevin Jenkinson here, which I think was a very well made comic. I was aware of this character before making Kiwiman, but I wasn't thinking of the Mawpawk at the time and it was not a direct inspiration. However, they share a lot of genre's; Super Hero, comedy, political satire and caricatures. </span></span> <br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Anyway with Kiwiman and the other characters from that “universe” it's not a direct result of wanting to make superhero comics. The only reason that there are any Kiwiman comics is because I have a lot of comics I want to make and I felt I had to choose one project to get on with and dedicate some time to instead of bouncing round several ideas whenever the inspiration hit and never achieving any final results.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kiwiman won out because I had just discovered the Maui's Dolphin and wanted to do something to help them. Maui's Dolphin are a subspecies of the Hector's Dolphin that live off the West Coast of New Zealand. There are estimated to be only fifty left. At the time I wrote and drew the first Kiwiman story the estimate was about one hundred Maui's Dolphins. I wanted to raise awareness of the problems the Maui's Dolphin's are having.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Using my concern as motivation helped me to overcome a lot of problems, mainly my lack of confidence and skill, and motivated me in getting out a really sustained effort.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The original comics were serialised in Auckland anthology comic New Ground published by Jeremy Bishop, owner of Arkham City Comics. From that effort I started the webcomic which has kept me working on comics through tough times.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.kiwimancomics.com/"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">www.kiwimancomics.com</span></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8FcTD0qrD9c/U4qE9oqOaZI/AAAAAAAAVK8/P1s1ezaz68I/s1600/Kiwiman_For_Sale_36_ABC-24fc2d5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8FcTD0qrD9c/U4qE9oqOaZI/AAAAAAAAVK8/P1s1ezaz68I/s1600/Kiwiman_For_Sale_36_ABC-24fc2d5.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com/2014/06/matthew-kelly-interview-part-two.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Matt Emery)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368138892176447601.post-4132416767919066355Fri, 30 May 2014 20:35:00 +00002014-05-31T06:52:28.309+10:00chris landerHamiltonjonah hexjudge dreddmark one comics and gamesnew zealand comic shopstreet angelMark One Turns 25<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i5MYep0gX8I/U4jeRmhG6vI/AAAAAAAAVI8/SSiFADnB1sw/s1600/10154004_877238262289704_7696744668993812854_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i5MYep0gX8I/U4jeRmhG6vI/AAAAAAAAVI8/SSiFADnB1sw/s1600/10154004_877238262289704_7696744668993812854_n.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp; </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For a brief moment in the nineties I had access to two comic shops within cycling distance of my home. After establishing their first store in Auckland the Mark One franchise set up stores across New Zealand including my hometown Napier and the nearby Hastings. Sadly at one point the franchises all switched to operating independently with Chris Lander's Mark One Comics in Hamilton left as the sole store under the Mark One brand.&nbsp; My local stores disappeared after the boom years in the nineties and my interest in comics dropped off.&nbsp; </span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In the mid 2000's I moved to Hamilton on a whim and after a few curious visits to Mark One I rekindled my interest in comics.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A highlight of every week was picking up a pile of comics on Friday and then lounging on our mansion porch (yeah, we had a mansion) on the banks of the mighty Waikato River and thumbing through all the four colour goodness that I thought I had grown out of. I remember picking up Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca's brilliant <i>Street Angel</i> and the Palmiotti and Gray relaunch of my childhood favourite <i>Jonah Hex</i> amongst a regular stream of goodies. It was probably finding John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra chronicling <i>Judge Dredd's </i>origins in <i>2000AD</i> that convinced me I needed to recommit to my childhood obsession. Chris was great for indulging my requests to order oddities from the Previews catalogue and things like, "Can you please not put sticky price tags on my <i>Phantom</i> comics?". Chris was great too for selling the tawdry comics I started making in Hamilton, "Here's a pile of hand stapled dick jokes I photocopied in an educational facility that I snuck into at 1am last night." It's really all Chris Lander's fault.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mTQhejn5c2w/U4jZQhHrOfI/AAAAAAAAVI0/PQ1A2Ij7Fy8/s1600/10245415_880792445267619_7805830800054673940_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mTQhejn5c2w/U4jZQhHrOfI/AAAAAAAAVI0/PQ1A2Ij7Fy8/s1600/10245415_880792445267619_7805830800054673940_n.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The following article appeared on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Mark1Comics">the Mark One FB page</a> and appears here courtesy of Tony Stevens.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Mark One Turns 25 by Tony Stevens</b></span></span> <span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Superman puffs out his expansive chest triumphantly. To his left Batman glares menacingly, his shadowy costume a complete contrast to Supe’s provocative red and blue.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I take a few steps further and encounter Hellboy sporting his distinctive red stumps where two demonic horns should be. His giant stone hand protrudes from a scruffy leather coat filled with magical charms, amulets and protective trinkets.&nbsp; A quick scan of the room reveals that I’m surrounded by aliens, predators, detectives, space cops, mutants, underwater monarchs, zombies and even the odd crew member the U.S.S. Enterprise.&nbsp; Larger than life figures boast flowing velvet capes and proudly wear their underwear externally while more than a couple of billionaire playboys wear their egos and genius in the form of high-tech armoured battlesuits.&nbsp; These are my heroes and there’s a special place in Hamilton where I can go to find them all in one place, not in the flesh but on the covers of a mighty array of comics, graphic novels, fantastical tomes and all manner of pop culture goodness.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">That place is Mark One and I think it’s the coolest shop in the city.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PSEKZ_WczKI/U4jplSRf5sI/AAAAAAAAVKA/zgOds2sPQKg/s1600/1011821_664161413597391_1918972820_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PSEKZ_WczKI/U4jplSRf5sI/AAAAAAAAVKA/zgOds2sPQKg/s1600/1011821_664161413597391_1918972820_n.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Every Friday I pay a visit, intent on spending a good chunk of my wage on a rapidly growing collection of graphic novels.&nbsp; I usually spend a few minutes inspecting the new releases on my routine trip but today I’m here to interview Mark One owner, Chris Lander, about his shop’s twenty-fifth birthday.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chris has been enraptured with the graphic medium since he was eight when an issue of 2000AD, the post-apocalyptic story of future cop Judge Dredd, arrived via post in a little rolled tube.&nbsp; His tastes have extended since then and he’s confident he can find a comic to please even the most persistent cynic.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“It’s just reading,” he says almost in defiance of the myriad stereotypes.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“It’s not a statement about you unless the statement is hey I can read.”</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“Mark One isn’t a fan club; you don’t have to be a paid-up member of the costume brigade to come in here. I really do see us as just a specialised book store.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“The whole comic collecting side of it (as an investment) exists – but it’s just an aspect of it. They really are just good stories.” Celebrations for the twenty-fifth milestone kick off on Saturday, May 3, and will tie in with the international event Free Comic Book Day, where Chris will give away thousands of free comics to readers’ young and old alike. &nbsp;The event has been swiftly gathering steam since American retailers birthed the concept in 2002. New Zealand audiences have been slower to catch on, however in the past two years hordes of Hamiltonians have assembled on Victoria Street to get their free comics.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SHQ2svZBDXg/U4jg1bk7NmI/AAAAAAAAVJE/p3n60kLcNCU/s1600/1544400_877241172289413_1755194047505860406_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SHQ2svZBDXg/U4jg1bk7NmI/AAAAAAAAVJE/p3n60kLcNCU/s1600/1544400_877241172289413_1755194047505860406_n.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“Last year we had 60-70 people queuing out the door. I opened the shop and it surged. I had to jump out of the way and I got trapped in the corner while this never ending torrent of people came through,” Chris said. Luckily Iron Man was on hand to keep the crowd pacified.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The ‘specialty’ bookstore had already been around for five years before Chris, 25, walked in to interview for a full-time position in 1994. The original owners Mark and Tania Paul had at that time established a network of Mark One franchises across New Zealand and two in Australia. The Pauls and their business partners were on the cusp of settling a deal to launch a store in the US, but a board-room scuffle and successive legal challenges derailed any plans for world domination, leaving the Hamilton store the lone survivor once the dust had settled. &nbsp;Chris stayed on as manager and he and wife Rachel bought the business in 2000. Though when they took the keys he had to sell some of his personal collection to pay a month’s rent up front, including a rare convention special of Sandman #50 by renowned writer Neil Gaiman. &nbsp;Despite the rent being well in hand now Chris maintains there is no treasure trove at home&nbsp; – his collection is at the shop and it’s all for sale.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8D-10bhrhwI/U4jg1RM9FFI/AAAAAAAAVJI/6PJC1obugIM/s1600/1610109_877240348956162_3513889630970432382_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8D-10bhrhwI/U4jg1RM9FFI/AAAAAAAAVJI/6PJC1obugIM/s1600/1610109_877240348956162_3513889630970432382_n.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp; </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“I get a buzz out of introducing someone to a good read.&nbsp; If somebody comes in and asks for a book it’s no good at home, it’s got to be here. “Besides when my kids got old enough to pull out my comics the safest place for them was at the shop.” Chris and Rachel’s youngest Ben, 6, thinks every family owns their own comic shop and is a big fan of everybody’s favourite neighbourhood Spiderman. Jamie’s a big fan of Mass Effect’s Commander Shepard, while his mother is more partial to Iron Man thanks to the suave performance of Robert Downey Jr – and Chris? “Who is&nbsp;<i>your</i>&nbsp;favourite superhero?” I ask. It’s obvious he has mused on this issue more than once. Chris looks torn, grappling with multiple possible responses. He begins mouthing “Bat-“ but stops himself and says, “Hellboy.” “I really love Batman but…Hellboy is really everything I love about working here. The comic has bubblegum elements, you know fighting against the evil Nazis, but there is substance to that bubblegum. There’s a tonne of mythology to it, Russian, Celtic and even Christian – there’s just so much in there and it’s just a fun read.”</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fun is the ultimate goal for Chris and he hopes for his customers too – the joy of reading a good story. He maintains that comics aren’t just “captioned pictures” and can point to a number of works considered literary masterpieces. He literally does point to a few tomes I can see from where we’re standing by the counter. I can see&nbsp;<i>Saga</i>&nbsp;by Brian K. Vaughan,<i>Locke &amp; Key</i>&nbsp;by Joe Hill, and obscured from my vision Frank Miller’s seminal&nbsp;<i>The Dark Knight Returns</i>. He rattles off a few more titles, almost all of them produced by ‘indie’ publishers. I’m surprised at how little the ‘big two’ come up our discussion – when people think comics they usually point to powerhouse publishers Marvel and DC, who are responsible for the likes of X-Men, Avengers, Batman, and The Justice League.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">He assures me Marvel and DC are still producing great comics, but says recently it’s the independent titles that have grabbed the industry by the scruff and given it a good shake.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“I actually do think today is a golden era in comics.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0FN1xOUJQJ4/U4jiTZrGqdI/AAAAAAAAVJw/NsAD9MfVxaU/s1600/530501_784855294861335_195011471_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0FN1xOUJQJ4/U4jiTZrGqdI/AAAAAAAAVJw/NsAD9MfVxaU/s1600/530501_784855294861335_195011471_n.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;“I was managing the store in the early 90s when (customers purchased) X-Men and nothing else (but now) there is such variety. “Comics are now being produced for so many different markets whereas in the past they were being written for kids knowing that they also had an older audience.” Robert Kirkman’s&nbsp;<i>The Walking Dead</i>&nbsp;is one such indie title that has stormed pop culture in recent years. Ever since it was released in 2003&nbsp;<i>Dead</i>&nbsp;has been dominating the graphic novel market, not to mention spinning off a spectacularly successful TV show. It’s a black and white comic boasting themes of extinction, isolation, and societal deterioration, with a generous helping of blood and guts – definitely not one for kids.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Audiences have mutated as significantly as their comics since Mark One came on to the scene. When Chris started his career the industry was embroiled in a “speculator” boom where collectors rabidly snapped up multiple copies of titles, hoping their value would skyrocket over time.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-20pjoZik1ak/U4jiTMo7sAI/AAAAAAAAVJs/NGZFaP1K0gE/s1600/1966937_868240659856131_5711380346305453206_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-20pjoZik1ak/U4jiTMo7sAI/AAAAAAAAVJs/NGZFaP1K0gE/s1600/1966937_868240659856131_5711380346305453206_n.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp; </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“We’ve ridden fads like chatter-rings and Yu-Gi-Oh, but I’ve never seen a boom like the one I walked into. “You’d order a stupid load of something in and you still sell out. There were even firms in the US where you could pay a certain amount of money and they would purchase and even choose your comics for you and then store them in a vault, and you were apprised of its value every so often. It wasn’t happening to quite the same scale (in NZ) but it was still pretty crazy.” That historical priority of monetary value over a good yarn is the reason Chris is so adamant that Mark One is pitched at readers. The true value of a comic, he says, is the story, “otherwise what’s the point?” The speculator boom marked the glory days for comic book stores, but when the bubble burst a year later shops around the world began to sink, including many in the Mark One chain. Cue the legal arm-wrestle between franchise big-wigs. But Chris, mystified that his pay check kept rolling in, continued working. The closest he got to the skirmish was a phone call from Mark Paul warning him of attempts by stakeholders to change locks on the various Mark One stores. He was instructed to stand sentinel over the Hamilton shop until the corporate espionage had run its course.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XQACKn57LEk/U4jplmukh0I/AAAAAAAAVKI/8-enRUx29ng/s1600/1185456_710422352304630_1146853612_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XQACKn57LEk/U4jplmukh0I/AAAAAAAAVKI/8-enRUx29ng/s1600/1185456_710422352304630_1146853612_n.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">According to Paul, Chris’ loyalty during this time is a big part of why the Hamilton shop survived when others collapsed. “Chris always struck me as an honest, hardworking guy with real integrity,” said Paul. “Chris’ loyalty (during the dispute) made it a priority for us to retain ownership of the Hamilton store, once the dust had settled. “This enabled us to eventually sell the business to Chris and Rachel, and we couldn’t be happier about that.”</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Without Chris, Hamiltonians would be stuck ordering our comics from Amazon instead purchasing them from a local store we can call our own. No other retailers dabbling in the pop culture market have been able to match Mark One’s local popularity.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chris tells me about one of their early competitors&nbsp;<i>Card Crazy,</i>&nbsp;a shop opened in Centre Place by a Mark One alumnus at the height of the trading card craze. “Card Crazy?” a customer asks. He appears in his late thirties and certainly doesn’t strike me as the stereotypical comic book “geek”. “That’s going back a while,” he continues. Chris nods in agreement, and remarks on his own long innings. “Yeah you’ve been here since I was a kid,” the customer replies . “And you’ve got the customer base to prove it.”</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iDuRrpDQ0VY/U4jiR9F5AsI/AAAAAAAAVJU/hoG3uHdvDy4/s1600/10301496_880792391934291_3966702317554547974_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iDuRrpDQ0VY/U4jiR9F5AsI/AAAAAAAAVJU/hoG3uHdvDy4/s1600/10301496_880792391934291_3966702317554547974_n.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This little exchange is a perfect example of the mutual loyalty that has kept the Hamilton store running for twenty-five years, almost unheard of in the turbulent industry. And he’s not the only customer to share nostalgic sentiments about their favourite shop during our interview. Another Mark One veteran, a seasoned gentleman Chris refers to as ‘Robin’, arrives at the counter a few minutes later and reminisces on shopping there pre-Chris, when he could get an issue of 2000AD for $0.30 (it’s now roughly $7.50). As Robin leaves I’m struck by how much foot traffic the shop has had since I walked in. I’ve been talking to Chris for close to two hours now and in that time close to 20 customers have come and gone. I’m anxious to get my own fix of comic books so I tell Chris I just have one question left for him.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4q4U-m1lJm8/U4jiSEhcqKI/AAAAAAAAVJc/L5PEWifvNv4/s1600/1512380_878737592139771_8997219912998885254_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4q4U-m1lJm8/U4jiSEhcqKI/AAAAAAAAVJc/L5PEWifvNv4/s1600/1512380_878737592139771_8997219912998885254_n.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp; </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What makes Hamilton such a good place to sell comic books? It’s a good uni town, he tells me. “We use to have to put extra staff on student loan draw down day when that was happening.” Cautious business decisions, avoiding fads and keeping within their capacity are all cited as other reasons for the shop’s longevity, but the biggest thing he tells me is, of course, the customers. “We’ve just got a great bunch of supporters that want to see us do well. “If you look after them they look after you – and I think MK1 is well looked after.”</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I take my journalist hat off and check the new releases to see if any of my anticipated DC New 52 or Marvel Now! volumes are in stock. Nothing grabs me immediately so I turn my gaze to the back catalogue. I normally bounce back and forth between Mark One’s nicely laid out sections multiple times before making a decision – similar to a kid in a candy shop.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">During these laps my eye catches a glimpse of Joss Whedon’s&nbsp;<i>Astonishing X-Men</i>. Whedon is also the director of Marvel’s cash factory&nbsp;<i>The Avengers</i>&nbsp;and I’ve heard his X-Men run is exemplary. I tuck volume 1 under my arm and continue browsing.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I recently finished reading Warren Ellis’ collected work on&nbsp;<i>Planetary</i>, a fantastic story of super-powered archaeologists charged with excavating the hidden history of the planet. I lament the closure of my journey with&nbsp;<i>Planetary</i>&nbsp;to Chris, who is a big Warren Ellis fan. He suggests I take a look at another of the author’s comics,&nbsp;<i>Transmetropolitan.</i></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I decide to give it a go and whip out my eftpos card to finalize the purchase. The card reader displays the price – $49.99 – the price of&nbsp;<i>Astonishing X-Men</i>&nbsp;on its own (volume 1 collects 12 issues). “Chris you forgot to add Transmetropolitan to the bill,” I say. “No it’s on the house.” That’s Chris – it’s almost as if he gets as much pleasure from exposing readers to the joy of comics as he does securing a purchase for his bank account. Though free comics are not the norm – except on&nbsp;Free Comic Book Day.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XVC4JiJwEs8/U4jiR3eShGI/AAAAAAAAVJY/Sslzy530qbU/s1600/1495132_792630344083830_1379690760_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XVC4JiJwEs8/U4jiR3eShGI/AAAAAAAAVJY/Sslzy530qbU/s1600/1495132_792630344083830_1379690760_o.jpg" height="116" width="400" /></a></div>http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com/2014/05/mark-one-turns-25.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Matt Emery)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368138892176447601.post-2420903179742038571Thu, 29 May 2014 23:30:00 +00002014-05-30T09:30:02.154+10:00Australian cartoonistAustralian comicsaustralian science fictionMaurice bramleynew zealand cartoonistNew Zealand Comicsscientific thrillerMaurice Bramley Scientific Thriller Covers<span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I've been posting New Zealand/Australian cartoonist/illustrator Maurice Bramley's painted Scientific Thriller covers on Te Pikitia tumblr. Here's a selection for folk that may have missed them.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/maurice-bramley.html">Maurice Bramley</a> covers for Scientific Thriller novels circa 1948-1949. As with other illustration work , Bramley often used his own photos as well as photos of actors and celebrities as reference for characters in his illustrations.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PXCnegx8duM/U4b5dqyXwgI/AAAAAAAAVHQ/CWt6EMwAbe8/s1600/Magnetic+Peril.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PXCnegx8duM/U4b5dqyXwgI/AAAAAAAAVHQ/CWt6EMwAbe8/s1600/Magnetic+Peril.jpg" height="640" width="449" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iQnNn4ElKYU/U4b5d1AazFI/AAAAAAAAVHY/DQCggG252iE/s1600/ST+01+Atomic+Death.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iQnNn4ElKYU/U4b5d1AazFI/AAAAAAAAVHY/DQCggG252iE/s1600/ST+01+Atomic+Death.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s9ebVJdpG0Q/U4b5dn2l1GI/AAAAAAAAVHU/1mCArmX3yNE/s1600/ST+02+Jaws+Of+Doom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s9ebVJdpG0Q/U4b5dn2l1GI/AAAAAAAAVHU/1mCArmX3yNE/s1600/ST+02+Jaws+Of+Doom.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wmEtezKhji0/U4b5gPi0OFI/AAAAAAAAVHg/uUKEb7f-YVo/s1600/ST+03+Hypnotic+Death.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wmEtezKhji0/U4b5gPi0OFI/AAAAAAAAVHg/uUKEb7f-YVo/s1600/ST+03+Hypnotic+Death.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4GK1vvIPub0/U4b5hSo5q3I/AAAAAAAAVHo/c8_fx6yRg80/s1600/ST+04+Blackmarket+Brains.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4GK1vvIPub0/U4b5hSo5q3I/AAAAAAAAVHo/c8_fx6yRg80/s1600/ST+04+Blackmarket+Brains.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J3VZVtV60FA/U4b5hzpMP6I/AAAAAAAAVHk/iTBWO1AiEks/s1600/ST+05+Death+Is+A+Habit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J3VZVtV60FA/U4b5hzpMP6I/AAAAAAAAVHk/iTBWO1AiEks/s1600/ST+05+Death+Is+A+Habit.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0u5zHpHashU/U4b5iVveAWI/AAAAAAAAVHs/hZxck0mvFEM/s1600/ST+06+X+Ray+Menace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0u5zHpHashU/U4b5iVveAWI/AAAAAAAAVHs/hZxck0mvFEM/s1600/ST+06+X+Ray+Menace.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MQf63LaccgQ/U4b5kVgXB4I/AAAAAAAAVHw/pRDw0iqqGLs/s1600/ST+07+Whistle+Of+Doom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MQf63LaccgQ/U4b5kVgXB4I/AAAAAAAAVHw/pRDw0iqqGLs/s1600/ST+07+Whistle+Of+Doom.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YrV5QoqEak4/U4b5nI2yFuI/AAAAAAAAVH4/vo87HpNsriQ/s1600/ST+08+Death+Has+No+Weight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YrV5QoqEak4/U4b5nI2yFuI/AAAAAAAAVH4/vo87HpNsriQ/s1600/ST+08+Death+Has+No+Weight.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GhqgzGy_bTg/U4b5mJ_7AgI/AAAAAAAAVH0/DOjBPX3Pons/s1600/ST+10+Murder+Has+Wings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GhqgzGy_bTg/U4b5mJ_7AgI/AAAAAAAAVH0/DOjBPX3Pons/s1600/ST+10+Murder+Has+Wings.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V3kTjKj8v0I/U4b5n_UOR1I/AAAAAAAAVH8/yfCKX9ZlnNk/s1600/ST+11+Cosmic+Calamity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V3kTjKj8v0I/U4b5n_UOR1I/AAAAAAAAVH8/yfCKX9ZlnNk/s1600/ST+11+Cosmic+Calamity.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kWNzY_raxNs/U4b5qkeeq5I/AAAAAAAAVIE/nDm_N_bRn_k/s1600/ST+12+Lightning+Crime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kWNzY_raxNs/U4b5qkeeq5I/AAAAAAAAVIE/nDm_N_bRn_k/s1600/ST+12+Lightning+Crime.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0zsBndaPE58/U4b5p6f7gyI/AAAAAAAAVIA/zCsSGEwNjLY/s1600/ST+13+The+Curse+Of+Blood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0zsBndaPE58/U4b5p6f7gyI/AAAAAAAAVIA/zCsSGEwNjLY/s1600/ST+13+The+Curse+Of+Blood.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T-MjoQHm9Zw/U4b5qtoXOfI/AAAAAAAAVII/-0s-uasTkVY/s1600/ST+14+Time+Has+A+Door.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T-MjoQHm9Zw/U4b5qtoXOfI/AAAAAAAAVII/-0s-uasTkVY/s1600/ST+14+Time+Has+A+Door.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KpqjPTsJAKY/U4b5r4KYUsI/AAAAAAAAVIM/RdLxNwm8K1Q/s1600/ST+15+The+Mummy+Walks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KpqjPTsJAKY/U4b5r4KYUsI/AAAAAAAAVIM/RdLxNwm8K1Q/s1600/ST+15+The+Mummy+Walks.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-15-_ys0R1S8/U4b5tHtslqI/AAAAAAAAVIQ/jjdUhBFuz7k/s1600/ST+16+King+Rat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-15-_ys0R1S8/U4b5tHtslqI/AAAAAAAAVIQ/jjdUhBFuz7k/s1600/ST+16+King+Rat.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OikXS-7ot3Y/U4b5uTnDuRI/AAAAAAAAVIU/qN-I_3zk3fc/s1600/ST+18+The+Glowing+Globe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OikXS-7ot3Y/U4b5uTnDuRI/AAAAAAAAVIU/qN-I_3zk3fc/s1600/ST+18+The+Glowing+Globe.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jgbBJaaCMhk/U4eML1AxViI/AAAAAAAAVIg/-5fIO6xFOjw/s1600/ST+17+Toppling+Terror.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jgbBJaaCMhk/U4eML1AxViI/AAAAAAAAVIg/-5fIO6xFOjw/s1600/ST+17+Toppling+Terror.jpg" /></a></div>http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com/2014/05/maurice-bramley-scientific-thriller.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Matt Emery)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368138892176447601.post-8721803613674713308Thu, 29 May 2014 04:15:00 +00002014-05-29T14:15:51.637+10:00Ant Sangfilth comickickstarternew zealand cartoonistNew Zealand Comicsthe dharma punksAnt Sang Interview<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MaXe2p-0Px4/U4axjbXb8PI/AAAAAAAAVHA/fXwvNxFlhlI/s1600/718abd13accef47a6209af66eda77e6e_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MaXe2p-0Px4/U4axjbXb8PI/AAAAAAAAVHA/fXwvNxFlhlI/s1600/718abd13accef47a6209af66eda77e6e_large.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;</span></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ant Sang's <i>Dharma Punks</i> along with Adam Jamieson's <i>Blink</i> was one of the few New Zealand comics I was aware of in my teens that was available nationwide through bookshops and newsagents via Australasian distributors Gordon and Gotch. I had picked up the first issues of Ant's first series <i>Filth</i> on a rare trip to Auckland and finding <i>Dharma Punks</i> in a local book shop was impressive to see, for the progression in Ant's work and the fact it was now available in provincial New Zealand where access to comics and especially local ones was limited.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BlCcz5jMrdE/U4af47xqYCI/AAAAAAAAVGw/OGLj0M9RcUg/s1600/rain_issue+3_The+Dharma+Punks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BlCcz5jMrdE/U4af47xqYCI/AAAAAAAAVGw/OGLj0M9RcUg/s1600/rain_issue+3_The+Dharma+Punks.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">New publishing venture Earth's End have run a <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1512313603/the-dharma-punks-graphic-novel">Dharma Punks </a><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1512313603/the-dharma-punks-graphic-novel">kickstarter</a> this month and successfully funded a collection of the eight part series within days. Three stretch goals have also been achieved with expanded back matter scheduled for inclusion upon reaching a $15,000 target.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Backers can expect an A5, 400 page collection with embossed cover, UV spot and french flaps with all eight full colour covers of the original series included in the book.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Please consider supporting <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1512313603/the-dharma-punks-graphic-novel">the Collected Dharma Punks on Kickstarter.</a></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I5ohSQcVdmA/U4af2xPwkiI/AAAAAAAAVGg/DvNbHKwixOc/s1600/TDP_preproduction_swimming01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I5ohSQcVdmA/U4af2xPwkiI/AAAAAAAAVGg/DvNbHKwixOc/s1600/TDP_preproduction_swimming01.jpg" /></a></div>&nbsp;<span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Dharma Punks synopsis:</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><i>"It's Auckland, New Zealand, 1994. A group of anarchist punks have hatched a plan to sabotage the opening of a multinational-fast food restaurant by blowing it sky-high on opening day.</i></span></span><br /><i><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></i> <i><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chopstick has been given the unenviable task of setting the bomb in the restaurant the night before the launch, but when he is separated from his accomplice, the night takes the first of many unexpected turns.</span></span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As the story unfolds, it becomes clear there is more at stake than was first realised, and the outcome of the night's events will change all of their lives in ways they could never have imagined."</span></span></i><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The following interview with Ant Sang is excerpted from a longer piece covering Ant's career in<i> The New Zealand and Australian Comics Interview Zine #2: Ant Sang </i>available from the Pikitia Store in June<i>.</i></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What were the first comics you read?</b></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I've been through heaps of phases of comic reading. The earliest comics I remember reading were cheap funnies. Richie Rich, Casper, Uncle Scrooge, that kind of stuff. When I was around six years old one of my favourites was Burne Hogarth's Tarzan of the Apes. I've still got it sitting on my bookshelf to this day.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yp5z7KUOp5A/U4af25wC2RI/AAAAAAAAVGk/waVM7Hy_qvI/s1600/Cat_issue+4_The+Dharma+Punks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yp5z7KUOp5A/U4af25wC2RI/AAAAAAAAVGk/waVM7Hy_qvI/s1600/Cat_issue+4_The+Dharma+Punks.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What got you interested in making your own comics?</b></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I tinkered with combining words and pictures when I was a kid, but I wasn't consciously trying to make comics at that time. It wasn't until my early twenties that I had the thought of actually making comics. I was studying graphic design, and going through a big existential crisis after a classmate died. A friend who was also into comics lent me a bunch of 'alternative comics' - Dan Clowes, Chester Brown, Julie Doucet - and it was a real revelation. For the first time I realised that comics could be raw, crude, angry and could talk frankly about a lot of issues which really connected with me. I was taken by the DIY ethic of a lot of the 'alternative comics' and figured that 'yeah, anyone can do comics', if they had something to say. It was soon afterwards that I started making my first mini-comic, Filth, to explore the thoughts going on in my head.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span> <br /><div class="im"><div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>I remember a boom in self published comics in Auckland around the time Filth came out, I recall the work of Andy Conlan, Karl Wills, Adam Jamieson, and Willi Saunders amongst others, were you part of a comics community then?</b></span></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Yeah the mid-nineties was a really exciting time in the&nbsp;Auckland comic scene. So many great comics were being made then, and there was a real camadarie amongst the Auckland cartoonists. We met for regular comic meetings and saw each other socially. Cornelius Stone used to have big parties at his flat in Mt Eden and he lived with Barry and Willi at various times. It was also a good time because it felt, not with just comics, but with music and film too, that there was some kind of cultural revolution in the air.&nbsp;</span></span></div><div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aGQTATqB_FE/U4af3l7cTHI/AAAAAAAAVGo/Q6WklnCfYxY/s1600/issue6_The+Dharma+Punks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aGQTATqB_FE/U4af3l7cTHI/AAAAAAAAVGo/Q6WklnCfYxY/s1600/issue6_The+Dharma+Punks.jpg" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp; </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><div class="im"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Did you plan to have newsstand/bookshop distribution for Dharma Punks before starting the series? Did you approach any publishers with the work?</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">When I started working on <i>The Dharma Punks</i>, it was my first attempt at a long form story, and I didn't want it to be just a continuation of <i>Filth</i>. I felt it terms of story and production that I had to do something different. I had to up the ante I guess. </span></span></div><div></div><div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I had been to a heap of conventions by this time, hawking mini-comics at the NZ comics tables to a largely disinterested crowd. Over that time I had the chance to think about the mini-comic scene and came to a few conclusions. One was that a lot of potential readers didn't give mini-comics a chance because they just looked too weird. Too scratchy, too DIY, too lo-fi. I figured people were scared off them. And secondly, people are more likely to pick up comics which they recognise on some level. So my plan with <i>The Dharma Punks</i> was to try to package it differently and to promote the hell out of it, so that people would know about it. This wasn't the done thing at the time. I remember when I talked to another cartoonist mate about the idea he looked at me and said ' what are you going to do, walk around with a sandwich board?' So anyway, I found the cheapest printer I could find, and got the covers printed in colour, on a thicker stock. And I managed to get pretty good coverage on student radio and tv and magazine interviews. It seemed like a real media blitz, for a New Zealand comic anyway.</span></span></div><div></div><div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I can't remember when I thought newstand/bookshop distribution would be a good idea. It certainly wasn't the plan from the start. Probably not til quite close to the first issue being released. In the end most copies were still sold from comic shops, but having the comics on display at the newsstands/bookshops really helped with promotion and being visible.</span></span></div><div></div><div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I'm pretty sure I approached a couple of overseas publishers, probably some of the better known alternative publishers, but I don't think I heard back from them...</span></span></div><div></div><div><div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>How long was the gestation process of Dharma Punks before the first issue came out? How far into the series were you when it launched?</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The gestation period of <i>Dharma Punks</i> will have been about four years. When I finished Filth in 1997 I wanted to work on a longform story, but I had to brush up on my writing as I hadn't ever done a comic of substantial length. So for those four years&nbsp;I read heaps of screenwriting books, drew a number of aborted attempts of <i>Dharma Punks</i>, and tried to figure out what the storyline should be.</span></span></div><div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VltjJSddW5Q/U4af5H0XXkI/AAAAAAAAVG0/aPqbdTS4AFM/s1600/tdp1cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VltjJSddW5Q/U4af5H0XXkI/AAAAAAAAVG0/aPqbdTS4AFM/s1600/tdp1cover.jpg" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp; </span></span></div><div class="im"><div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Did you receive much feedback from Dharma Punks original publication?</b></span></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The immediate reaction to <i>Dharma Punks</i> was great. The comic shops here in New Zealand were super supportive, and there seemed to be quite a buzz about the comic. Even folk who don't normally read comics were apparently heading into the specialty comic shops and asking for <i>Dharma Punks.</i> </span></span></div></div><div class="im"><div></div><div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Did you anticipate the response to the Dharma Punks Kickstarter? What were your expectations?</b></span></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Well, y'know we were hopeful of meeting our goal, but as the launch date approached we all got increasingly nervous about the response to our campaign. We'd been planning the campaign for close to a year, so a lot of planning and discussion had gone into it. We felt there were a lot of people who wanted this to happen, but you never know how it will go until you actually go ahead and do it for real. The first few days were crazy. I couldn't help constantly checking in to see the latest running total. Fortunately the Dharma Punks fans came through and we reached our initial goal within five days.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp; </span></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gFOZkb6IKus/U4af4KHurjI/AAAAAAAAVGs/TIu7NkLOpPY/s1600/killfukdie_issue+5_The+Dharma+Punks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gFOZkb6IKus/U4af4KHurjI/AAAAAAAAVGs/TIu7NkLOpPY/s1600/killfukdie_issue+5_The+Dharma+Punks.jpg" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp; </span></span></div></div></div>http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com/2014/05/ant-sang-interview.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Matt Emery)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368138892176447601.post-2080459803108428056Sun, 18 May 2014 22:00:00 +00002014-05-19T08:00:01.871+10:00evening postnevile Lodgenew zealand cartoonistnew zealand newspaper cartoonssports postNevile Lodge (1918 - 1989)<span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Today marks the 96th Anniversary of the birth of New Zealand cartoonist Nevile Lodge.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/nevile-lodge-golden-kiwi-and-convoice.html"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Nevile Lodge - Golden Kiwi and Convoice</span>.</a>&nbsp; </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://pikitiapress.tumblr.com/post/75774144065/nevile-lodge-1918-1989-saturday-sports-post">Nevile Lodge Sports Post Covers on Pikitia tumblr.</a></span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R5xs3Sj7dQg/UvxrB208TEI/AAAAAAAAUdQ/30GIwyFokOw/s1600/tumblr_n0k8hl9lrz1rakkjko5_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R5xs3Sj7dQg/UvxrB208TEI/AAAAAAAAUdQ/30GIwyFokOw/s1600/tumblr_n0k8hl9lrz1rakkjko5_1280.jpg" /></a></div>http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com/2014/05/nevile-lodge-1918-1989.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Matt Emery)0